In Days of Sorcery
by Light Derived from Darkness
Summary: YGOHP Crossover. The Dursleys take in a foreign exchange student named Yugi Moto for ungratifying reasons, but after the magic of his puzzle is revealed in front of Harry, he finds himself admitted into an odd school named Hogwarts.
1. A Not so Charming Host Family

** The Synopsis: **The Dursleys take in a foreign exchange student from Japan named Yugi Moto for less than gratifying intentions, but after the magic of Yugi's Millennium Puzzle is revealed in front of their solemn nephew Harry, he finds himself forced into the strange Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This is my first attempt at writing a Yu-Gi-Oh and Harry Potter crossover. If you happen to read this then please review.

** The Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or Harry Potter or anything in association with either of them.

** Chapter One: **_A Not-so-Charming Host Family_

Yugi missed home already, the European countryside outside of the bustling city of London beautiful but only able to capture one's attention for so long. He shifted his two suitcases where he had set them between his scrawny legs, since there was little room in the backseat with his rather large host father accompanying him. He had gotten the feeling the moment he had seen stepped off the airplane and into the presence of his new guardian that something was indefinitely amiss, and he still hadn't been able to rid himself of the feeling yet.

The evening darkness caused the ironclad lanterns all down the private streets to flicker to life, almost simultaneously as they passed them. As he watched the first few stars bravely emerge from the gloom of the growing night sky, his host father suddenly spoke, his voice gruff and rather unfriendly.

"So you're name's Yugi Moto right?" he asked roughly, pronouncing his name a little wrong while at the same moment forcing Yugi more against the car door so he could stretch his legs in the confined space. Yugi timidly nodded, attempting to feel the circulation once more in his right leg after having lost in beneath an article of his luggage.

"I'm going to set some ground rules for you right now so we can make sure you don't overstep your bounds while you're staying here with us," Vernon Dursley began sternly, his slightly vicious tone calling small Yugi's attention to him immediately. The pit in his stomach turned into an incomprehensible void in a mere second of this statement.

"First of all, those clothes you're wearing are not what my wife and I see appropriate, so you'll have to wear something different while you're staying here with us. Black leather, denim jackets and distasteful jewelry will not be allowed in my home _with no exceptions_," Mr. Dursley declared, and Yugi sighed and recoiled against the seat gently. That _was_ basically all he had brought with him.

"Second, your hair also must be kept in an acceptable fashion as well. I won't tolerate that hairstyle you have or the manner that you've dyed it," Vernon exclaimed, and Yugi dared to smile nervously up at the massive man.

"Mr. Dursley? My hair is naturally those colors, and my hair just grew this way. I don't style it at all; my father had hair just like this too," he explained quietly, and Vernon Dursley looked prepared to smite him if he did not quiet himself, which he did with a repressed gasp. That man could look like a beast if he wanted to, that was for sure.

"You heard me, and you'll do as I say so long as you're underneath _my_ roof. Third of all..." Yugi finally drifted off and ignored his demands for him to change his entire character and instead stared out of the window, seeing Yami staring back through his reflection with a faint smile.

"I told you you'd come to regret leaving your home," he said with a slightly humored tone, and Yugi sighed and nodded slightly with a weary and disappointed look.

"I should have listened to you, but I thought coming to a foreign country would be interesting and fun. Fate just can't seem to cut me any slack..." he whispered back, hoping not to catch Vernon's attentions as he rambled on, having not yet discovered that Yugi was no longer listening.

"Why don't you go back then? Your friends will surely miss you and you've missed them since you first stepped onto the airplane," Yami suggested, as if it hadn't already crossed Yugi's mind far more than once. But he sighed once more, a defeated one as he slumped back into the seat once more with a faraway gaze.

"This is just a trial visitation of the foreign exchange program so I'll be back in a week. I'll just have to survive it until then," Yugi said, and Yami rolled his eyes slightly, unable to comprehend why Yugi chose to put up with such nagging and horrid humans sometimes, but he kept silent and simply vanished from his reflection as Vernon turned towards him, his face blistering red from his unheard speech.

"Did you hear all of that? I want every rule followed to a tee if you hope to get a good comment from my wife and myself to the head of the exchange program," he spat in warning, and Yugi simply nodded and hoped he hadn't missed anything important in the tyrant's words.

He sighed once more, watching as they approached 4 Privet Dr., his new home if only for a while. He noticed how much all the homes in these private blocks looked alike, decent homes but so generic it ruined the appearance.

'It's turning out to be more like a prison than anything else...' he thought to himself as the taxi came to a stop in the driveway and Vernon began to exit the car. Yugi found he was able to move his legs and breath again once he had left, paying the cab driver and then heading up towards the rather nice house, leaving Yugi to carry his two articles of luggage by himself.

He trudged up to the house dragging along his two bags to find that Vernon Dursley hadn't even had the decency to leave the door opened for him to enter and muttered slightly to himself.

"Funny how he's so strict on rules and yet so rude to complete strangers..." he whispered as he set down one of the bags and opened the door into the tense atmosphere of the house. The scent of some heavy air freshener made his nose wrinkle slightly as his headache only served to grow worse.

A rather disturbing scene played itself out before him as he took his first steps onto the flawless carpets of the living room, setting down his bags only to look up sharply when Vernon Dursley let out a venomous statement.

"Who said you could come down from your room? We want nothing to do with you anymore, you're dead to us now boy," Vernon hissed down upon a gaunt and lanky boy that was around Yugi's age as well, who was surprised that he didn't even react at all to the heartless proclamation.

He looked apathetically up at Vernon, his messy hair reminding Yugi of his own untamable locks as he attempted to connive a way to get his hair under control to appease Vernon's wishes. He wore thick glasses upon his face and old, faded clothes that were too large for him without question, and Yugi couldn't help but pity him instantly. He half-wandered if this boy was Vernon's son, considering it had said he had one on the information sheet the exchange program had mailed him a few days before he had left. But then the boy looked nothing like him, skinny and pale as opposed to Vernon's heaviness and constantly flustered face.

The boy simply turned once Vernon was down shouting and departed without a word of argument or consent, walking briskly up the stairs and slamming the door into his room far away on the upper floor, and Yugi was still watching after him as Vernon rounded on him suddenly.

"You'll be staying with _him_ while you're here, his room's small but you'll have to manage," he grumbled, as though Yugi were being some sort of severe burden on them, but again he simply nodded and bit his tongue. Saying a wrong word could get him shipped back to Japan and a very angry grandfather, and he would rather face the Dursley's wrath than that of Solomon Moto. Joey would have easily agreed with him on that if he were here.

"Is that your son?" Yugi asked simply as he approached the stairs, smelling something delicious in the air as his wife was cooking in the kitchen, and Vernon immediately turned a darker shade of crimson but seemed as though he were holding in the desire to scream.

"That..._monster_...is not my child," he said in a horrible quietness, turning and heading off into the kitchen with an oppressive air about him, and Yugi stared after him strangely and then turned to begin climbing the stairs up to the room he shared so he could put away his belongings.

"Don't unpack yet, dinner's ready now," a female voice called from the kitchen, and Yugi turned to see a rather unattractive woman poking her head out from around the threshold into the kitchen, a look of contempt on her wiry features.

Yugi nodded and set his suitcases down next to the staircase, slipping off his shoes respectfully and rushing into the kitchen just as the other members of the family were beginning to take their seats, a virtual feast laid out on the table. He assumed, the battered, rather dreary looking chair left was for him and sat, wondering where the other boy was going to sit.

He had thought that Vernon was massive, until he saw his obvious son. The chair shifted and sighed underneath the weight of that horrid-looking boy, his face so chubby that his eyes were barely visible under his puffy, red cheeks. Yugi attempted to give him a kind smile, but the boy immediately scuffed at him the moment he entered the kitchen.

"He's funny looking, is that how all the boys dress over in...in...what country is he from again mommy?" the bulbous boy asked, his mother smiling sweetly at her pride and joy as Yugi began turning red from humiliation.

"Japan dear, the little islands I showed you in the atlas yesterday remember?" she replied with an overzealous smile that Yugi cringed a bit to behold. Her face looked as though it was going to split in half with the expression.

"Yes that's right, Japan. Are all of them freaks over there like you?" the boy laughed, slamming his fatty fists into the table and seizing up nearly all the food that his mother had prepared, engulfing it as Yugi discreetly avoided the debris from the devouring by shifting his own chair slightly to the side.

"Now Dudley, we have to be courteous to our guests remember?" Vernon said, patting his son on the shoulder as he beamed with vainglory at his son's massive appetite. Yugi felt as though he was going to be sick as he was served a shriveled piece of chicken that remained and the lumpy portion of the mashed potatoes that still remained at the bottom of the bowl that their son hadn't seized immediately.

"I supposed we should introduce ourselves properly now. You know I'm Vernon Dursley but while you are living here you will regard as Sir, you understand?" he half-shouted, and Yugi flinched a bit and then shook his head that he understood.

Vernon continued a moment later after having gobbled up a large portion of his meal in one gulp. "This is my wife Petunia, and this is my son Dudley," he said, once again patting his son's shoulder as the boy licked his dishes clean. Yugi shoved his away, hoping to excuse himself early. A television was perched on the counter of the kitchen blaring and making Yugi go deaf, Dudley seemingly transfixed upon it as he continued to eat whatever was placed in front of him. Yugi swore he saw the boy chomp down a set of utensils without even noticing.

"Can I be excused?" he asked meekly, hoping not to seem disrespectful, and Vernon seemed slightly angered at first but then nodded without a word and allowed him to leave the kitchen, Yugi sprinting off with his consent and attempting not to trip over his ruffled socks.

He wanted to get upstairs to his new room as quick as possible and away from his new host family downstairs, but he heard them suddenly speaking over the sounds of the television and heard his name mentioned, since he assumed they had already learned it off of the forms sent by the program.

"Those clothes and that hair he has are _atrocious_. Vernon, I'm beginning to think it was a mistake bringing in that starved little whelp in our home," Petunia said with a 'better than thou' tone, collecting up the dirtied dishes as Vernon cleared his throat to speak and Dudley shattered one of his bowls in rage of how one of his shows had ended.

"We only need to put up with him for a week Petunia, and it'll get me that big raise at work. According to Briggs, my workmate I was telling you about, the rich contractor that's considering a large drill order from us loves charity work and community service rubbish. But think of how it will look when I go into work tomorrow with the poor little foreign exchange student whose come here to spent some time away from his third-world nation," Vernon said, adding emphasis and vigor where he believed it was needed as Petunia let out a soft, rather devious laugh alongside him.

"Japan is _not _a third world country," Yugi muttered from around the threshold, finally slipping away towards the staircase to ascend to his room.

So that was the entire reason he was here, so Vernon could look good for a wealthy contractor and make money off of his presence. Yugi sighed and allowed his arms to go slack as they carried the suitcases drearily. He was definitely going to tell his grandfather to take him off the list for a longer stay once he got back there at the end of the week. Who knew who he could end up with next, though it seemed highly doubtful they could be any worse than the Dursleys.

He reached the room swiftly as he had hoped, the door ajar slightly and a dim overhead light within it faltering as he approached and opened it gently, hoping not to disturb the other occupant of it.

"You can come in. I'm not going to attack you or anything," came a voice, and Yugi nearly jumped out of his skin as he heard it. But it was simply the other boy he had seen earlier being scolded by Vernon, sitting down on the edge of his bed reading a rather thick book. As Yugi yanked his things into the room, the boy tucked it away under his bed quickly while he wasn't looking.

"Well, aren't you lucky to get the most intolerable family in all of London," the individual said as Yugi looked for a bed for himself, though seeing nothing but a trunk and scratched dresser within the room.

"You'll have my bed, I'm going to bunk on the floor while you're here. Oh, and my name's Harry Potter. It's nice to meet you," the boy said, extending a friendly hand forward that Yugi graciously accepted. It was the first bit of kindness he had been shown ever since he had arrived here.

"My name's Yugi Moto. I'm from-"

"Japan, yeah, I'm probably the only one within the household who bothered to remember it," Harry said quickly, sitting up from his bed in order to allow Yugi to rest upon it, instead crossing over to his closet in order to search for some bedding to lay out on the carpet. Harry had seemed to read his thoughts exactly; it seemed he too suffered underneath Vernon and his 'charming' family.

"I don't remember seeing your name on the form they sent me," Yugi said as he recalled it to the best of his knowledge, and Harry turned, utterly unsurprised by this fact.

"I'm their nephew, and they prefer to pretend I don't exist, which means it's not written anywhere that I'm a part of this family or have any association to it. From what I've seen so far, it's probably going to go the same way with you as well once Vernon has convinced his contractor he deeply pities you and 'your kind.' Welcome to being one of the outcasts of the Dursley family," he said with a sarcastically humorous tone that Yugi couldn't help but laugh at, though still feeling down-hearted by the way this had worked out.

"Don't let it get you down, you're only getting it for a week. I've had to put up with it my whole life," Harry muttered bitterly at the end, not directed towards Yugi but his constant predicament, and Yugi began to question the motivation behind the hatred he had suddenly released.

"You've lived with them all your life? Well, I've lived with my grandpa basically all my life and I was never treated this way," Yugi said, and Harry sighed and plopped down onto his makeshift bed.

"You were lucky then. Ever since my parents died and I was put here I've had to put up with them," he sighed.

"I noticed you don't seem overly happy that it's summer vacation," Yugi noticed, remembering how Joey and Tristan had nearly gone insane with the happiness that came when school had ended for just over two blissful months.

"Well, it means being stuck here all the time with them. They don't let me go outside my room let alone anywhere else, so my days are spent up in here being ignored by nearly everybody," he grumbled, obviously in bad spirits as Yugi yawned and pulled the covers over himself. A breeze flew in through the wind, causing him to shiver a little bit as he prepared to go to sleep.

"I'm sorry, it must be hard, having lost your parents only to end up here," Yugi said with genuine sadness. Harry merely waved it off. He seemed used to this by now.

"I have friends that write to me just about every day; their encouragement keeps me getting along. Besides, I just have to tell myself it's only a bit longer and then school comes and I can see them again," Harry replied, indicating a growing pile of letters next to his dresser that Yugi smiled briefly at. Suddenly he shivered and grasped his elbows in a self-embrace.

"C-Could you close your window? It's getting kind of cold," Yugi requested, seeing his breath slightly in the air, but Harry shook his head softly.

"Sorry, if I don't keep it open it...it gets kind of stuffy in here," he explained swiftly, sitting up to shut off the lamp quickly and ending the conversation as he attempted to get himself comfortable.

Yugi laid back in bed, the feeling that something was amiss having not gone away yet ever since he had arrived in Britain. He was tired without a doubt, and could still hear the Dursley's stirring downstairs, laughing and more than likely ridiculing him further, when suddenly the silence was interrupted by Harry's voice.

"As I said a moment ago, don't let what they say or think get you down Yugi. They treat everyone like this and you'll be free of it in a week, just keep telling yourself that," Harry said encouraging, turning over and falling asleep almost instantly with a quick, wheezy snore less than a minute later. This proved to Yugi he was lying about the window since his breathing revealed a cold, but he didn't question it any further.

"Yes, I will go back home and see all my friends again...if I survive this week," Yugi whispered to himself as he settled back onto the bed, closing his eyes and allowing his weariness to consume him finally.

He fell asleep at the same instant an ominous shadow passed across the window, casting darkness over them for a mere second before vanishing into the moonlight.


	2. Improvements

**Chapter Two: **_"Improvements"_

The morning came sooner than Yugi ever could have imagined, and he awoke to a rather startling surprise as well. Two beady, blinking eyes stared through the darkness towards him, the creature's head cocked slightly in confusion as to why a stranger lied where its master usually slept. Yugi let out a stifled yelp of surprise and drew back, only to see a faint streak of shimmering white in the shadows as the owl took flight from atop him and soared over to Harry, who was sitting awake and reading the same, mysterious book as before. A flashlight was wedged into one of his dresser drawers at the appropriate angle so that it illuminated his text. As the owl positioned itself upon his shoulder loyally and sunk its head in to rest, Harry looked up from his readings with a faint smile upon his face.

"Sorry about that. Hedwig usually comes back during the night and was surprised to find you there instead of me," Harry said simply, turning one of the parchment pages but making sure his other hand fell conveniently over the title of the book, though Yugi was too tired to care about his subtle secrecy at the moment.

"I've never met anyone before that's owned an owl as a pet, though with regard to the troubles that other animals can give their owners it doesn't seem like a bad choice," Yugi said quietly, leaning back onto the wrinkled pillows and attempting to stable himself, knowing there was little chance of ever getting back to sleep. Though there was no clock within the room to indicate the time, the faint light of the approaching dawn alerted him that it was the early hours of the morning. A drawling, obnoxious snore emitted through the entire Dursley home, and as he listened Yugi now realized there wasn't a prayer of falling back into slumber. The sound was far too annoying and inconsistent.

"They usually get up early so it's probably best you're awake now. If they ask, which I'm almost a hundred percent sure they won't, I don't feel like any breakfast this morning. I can't stand to eat near that fat pig Dudley and they won't let me take my meal anywhere else. Aunt Petunia's afraid I'll break her precious china dishes," Harry said, his voice barely audible as the request held little relevance to him.

"But you didn't come down for dinner last night, aren't you getting hungry? It's unhealthy to go without eating for so long," Yugi said with genuine concern, noticing how Harry's body was rather skinny though not entirely starved. The boy simply shrugged however, once again uncaring and monotone towards the meager conversation.

"I get by, usually I won't eat and just sneak all the food into my pockets or something if I can. Like I said, I can't eat in front of their precious little Duddykins. It'd rather watch a nature show while eating with lions tearing apart their prey; it's far less of an animosity," Harry said, and Yugi laughed softly at his comment before both of them were silenced by a sudden noise.

A loud thud echoed through the house, followed by a rampant set of footsteps approaching at a rather menacing but clumsy pace, and suddenly the rickety door into the small bedroom burst open and there stood Vernon Dursley, red at the face as usual and still wearing his pajamas. They looked so stretched over his bulging body that they seemed prepared to simply tear at the seems. He grumbled a bit to himself at first, obviously not completely awake yet as Harry once again swiftly hid the book and switched his flashlight off while Vernon was still disoriented.

But Vernon acted as though his nephew didn't even exist and instead turned to Yugi, who was still sitting partially erect on the bed and putting on a rather unimpressionable smile.

"We're eating breakfast early this morning because my meeting with the contractor is at eight o'clock and we have to get there early for poise. Get your hide outta bed and let's get you fed and decent-looking," Vernon commanded, and with a swift look of encouragement and pity from Harry, Yugi stood from bed and followed the massive man from the room and down to the kitchen.

Yugi this time placed himself in between Petunia and Vernon as they ate and received no argument. Vernon seemed too excited about the deal to be settled this day that he didn't make a comment about Yugi's hair or clothes for a whole ten minutes into the meal.

"Petunia, see if you can find anything of Dudley's that'll fit the little runt and try to get his monstrous hair under control," Vernon ordered, and Yugi found himself being wrenched from the table even though he had only finished about half his meal and was taken into the downstairs bathroom where the gaunt and rather frightening looking woman began to try and transform him.

No matter how many times she combed and harshly brushed his rebellious hair it simply fell back into place as it had been, and with a nervous grin from Yugi she gave up and instead filled the bathtub with scorching warm water and dunked his head into it with little warning.

"This will get that horrendous dye out of your hair," she said, producing a bottle half-filled with a seemingly homemade remedy and pouring it onto his head as he looked up at the ceiling and had to keep from smiling at the stunned and confused expression that came upon her thin face. No matter how much she scrubbed with the fluid and bubbling water the colors didn't change, though the air did fill with an acidic aroma.

"I told you that those colors are natural. You can even ask my grandfather and he'll tell you the same thing," he began quietly, but she interrupted by wrenching his head out of the tub and leaving him dripping wet on the carpet as she left to find him some "appropriate" clothes. Even with his hair still wet it ended up as it had been before within a moment, falling back into its original form. Yugi sighed weakly and leaned back against the porcelain structure, having a sinking feeling in his stomach that the enjoyment of his stay here depended entirely upon this meeting today. Perhaps if he acted as Vernon wished him to he would be treated with more respect, though the thought of acting like some poor wretch from a third-world nation wasn't exactly appealing.

"Why are you allowing them to bully and belittle you Yugi?" Yami suddenly asked, casting a silhouette of his form next to him as Yugi rung his hair out into the draining water.

"They're my host family Yami, and whether I like them or not I have to respect them regardless. It's just a code of honor I have to follow," Yugi said drearily, thinking of spending the next six days amongst these people doing their every beak and call.

Yami sighed and stood, crossing the room to examine the strange, odd-smelling rinse that Petunia had dumped into his hair with a baffled look. "Well, I guess you can't blame them for thinking your hair is dyed. I have not seen anyone else to ever have hair quite like ours," he said with a brief smile though even now the substance was leaving a burning sensation upon the top of Yugi's head. Yugi simply sighed again and continued to sit there, listening as Petunia began to approach once more and gesturing swiftly for Yami to hide himself once more. She was humming a rather annoying melody but silenced with a scowl as she entered the room.

"It seems a waste to dress a scrawny little whelp like you in such fine suits made especially for my widdle Dudley, but Vernon insists upon replacing those revolting garments you came in," Petunia said, casting down upon him an enormous, dulled sapphire suit jacket and pants that Yugi knew wouldn't fit him if he weighed ten times what he did. But before he could say anything she stalked away once more, leaving him to put on the excessive clothes.

He attempted to, but only found himself in a virtual labyrinth of fabric. He finally wrenched his head through the top of the undershirt and put on the pants and jacket, only to find himself bunching up large amounts of the scratchy material until he was a general heap of cloth upon the ground.

"I look like a circus tent..." he groaned as he stared at himself in the mirror, unable to spot either of his arms or legs in the faded blue of the suit.

"Is it customary to dress in strange and ridiculous looking garments when one is going to see an important person?" Yami asked as Yugi tripped with his first attempt at walking in it.

"No, you're supposed to wear something formal, except in my case I have to wear something meant for someone with about a hundred times by body mass," Yugi grumbled, standing and instead sitting down into the toilet lid and listening as the air seeped out from within the folds of the suit, "How can they expect me to make an impression upon this contractor while looking like a complete idiot?"

"I just don't understand why you simply cannot leave. I'm sure your grandfather would understand if he knew how horrible these people are," Yami said, examining various articles of make-up that Petunia had left strewn upon the marble vanity next to where Yugi sat. He sneezed when he reached the thick white powder and suddenly Yugi was covered in it.

"As if I didn't look silly enough," Yugi sighed as he realized just how much Yami had managed to get upon him. Suddenly the bathroom door opened without warning once more and Yami vanished into thin air with swift apologetic expression.

"Oh my goodness! That's my expensive Déesse foundation!" she shouted as she recognized the horrible substance that Yugi was covered in, and he blushed slightly from embarrassment and glared slightly at Yami, who was still slightly visible within the vanity mirror. He simply shrugged in additional apology and disappeared in the blink of an eye as Petunia turned and wetted a washcloth with a drawling sigh, beginning to wipe the powder from Yugi's face and suit with an angered expression.

"I suppose your meager appearance will have to do," Petunia suddenly said, grabbing Yugi tightly by the wrist and dragging him from the bathroom down the stairs and into the living room where Vernon was waiting impatiently. He looked ready to erupt when he saw that Yugi looked almost no different except the baggy suit that he had been forced to dress in, and he continued blushing a vibrant red as he realized how incredibly strange he must seem at that moment.

"So the dye wouldn't come out eh? I guess I'll just have to tell Mr. Gutman that the little brat was part of some gang on the streets he was pulled off of," Vernon hastily said, clamping an ironclad grasp over Yugi's other wrist and yanking him outside to their car once more. Yugi nearly tripped several times over the far-too-long pant legs of Dudley's massive suit, cringing as he began to contemplate the events that were about to take place. It was either he swallow his dignity and pretend to be the starved wretch that Vernon had convinced this Mr. Gutman he was, or he act civilized and natural and be hated the rest of the five days he was trapped with these horrible people. He sighed, realizing that his first option seemed best and would at least make the tensions within the home far more bearable, though he could hardly imagine putting on the front he had belonged to some territorial gang upon the streets of a barbaric third-world nation.

He looked up as he was thrust into the car and saw Harry looking down from his bedroom window with a sympathetic look. Yugi could hardly believe that the boy had managed to survive all those years within such an oppressive and conceited family, but he seemed almost immune to it now, apathetic after all the years of being ignored and despised. Yugi sighed and waved deftly to the boy, which Harry returned it almost systematically, his gaze now lifting from down below where Yugi was to the sky, as though looking for something out on the horizon.

It was then that Yugi noticed something even at the distance he was at. Harry's messy hair was parted a bit to one side unlike it had been last night, and he could see something upon the skin of his forehead. A scar, oddly shaped from what he could see, almost touching the nearby hairline but jagged and strange. He wondered why he hadn't noticed it the night before, though it had been hard to notice anything in the barrage of rude comments and secret motives underway as to his arrival here.

"That sure is a strange scar though. I wonder where he could have gotten it from..." Yugi whispered to himself, quieted with an edgy glare from Vernon and simply watching as the Dursley house disappeared and they departed from Privet Drive.


	3. Unseen Catalyst

**Chapter Three: **_Unseen Catalyst_

They had entered the desolate industrial area of London only moments ago when they finally pulled up to the Grunnings Drill firm, a drab and depressing looking office building surrounded by warehouses where the construction and packaging took place. Even the workers looked dreary here Yugi noticed, trudging across the barren grounds in a systematic pace.

Vernon parked the vehicle in his designated space as director of the firm and turned to Yugi, who had been looking up at the seemingly endless floors of the building with a slightly curious expression.

"Now listen here, this contractor is talking about making a large, and I mean _large_, purchase of drills, and that's what's on the line. So if you hope to keep your stay here decent, you'll do exactly as I say without argument," Vernon lectured, but Yugi had been preparing himself for this and simply nodded, bringing his full attention towards the oppressive host father fate had dealt him.

"I've convinced Mr. Gutman that you're from an uncivilized and lawless third world nation, so you'd better not argue against whatever it is I happen to tell him. If he asks you, you were part of a street gang and came here through a foreign exchange program for misled and incurably aggressive teenagers," Vernon explained with a matter-of-fact tone, looking into the rearview mirror and adjusting the tacky bowtie he was wearing with his cheap suit.

"Does such a program even exist?" Yugi asked innocently, and he was immediately smote for his simple question.

"How would I bloody know? We don't associate with such lowly filth as anyone who would be in such programs," Vernon half-shouted, suddenly opening the driver's door and stepping out, waiting for Yugi to exit the car as well and follow him into the office building. Yugi did so, though catching a glimpse of Yami once more in the door window.

"You shouldn't have to change who you are to help such a horrible man Yugi. You deserve better than to be treated this way," Yami said, his voice once again filled with concern as Yugi hung his head and looked down to see that his feet were unseen beneath the massive suit.

"I don't have any choice Yami, if I don't they'll make my stay here intolerable, and I don't want to spend the next five days being ridiculed continuously if all I have to do is swallow my pride for just a short period of time," he said, but before Yami could argue Vernon walked behind the door and slammed it shut with an aggravated expression, nearly taking off Yugi's arm with it.

"Are you going to stand there all day looking like some brainless imbecile? Mr. Gutman is waiting in my office!" Vernon shouted, grabbing Yugi tightly by the wrist and literally dragging him into the building. Yugi continued to stare sadly back at the car, where Yami was looking on now reflected in the dismal windshield, looking sorrowful as well for what he would soon be going through.

The hallways all became boring and genetic after a while, with people walking briskly to and from their offices and the crowded copy room as countless mugs of coffee spilt all over the ugly brown carpet and supervisors screamed at their crew in a way that Yugi would have expected of a company directed by Vernon Dursley.

Finally they arrived to Vernon's office, an enormous and drab room of emptiness save a lone desk in the center and a few unrevealed file cabinets to either side. The room was pristine and spotless, obviously because of this vital meeting taking place today, and as they walked in Vernon's grip upon Yugi's wrist suddenly released and instead he found the man's beefy hand resting on his shoulder loosely as he attempted to look fatherly and anything but the mean-spirited tyrant he had been before. As they entered Mr. Gutman, who had been standing by the window overlooking the bustling city street down below, turned and greeted them with a weary smile.

"Vernon, it's good to see you again. And who is this?" Mr. Gutman asked somewhat politely, though the moment his eyes fell upon Yugi his face distorted into one as though he were looking at something indefinitely odd and out-of-place. Vernon put on a cheesy smile that any sane person would have gagged at. Yugi determined from this that Mr. Gutman was just as much a fool as his oh-so-charming host father was.

"This is Yogo Muto, he's a foreign exchange student my wife Petunia and I took in," Vernon said as though talking about having taken in a stray cat, and Mr. Gutman smiled at this remark and patted Yugi roughly on the head.

"What country is he from Vernon?" Mr. Gutman asked as he nearly broke Yugi's head with the overly forceful gesture, as though Yugi himself couldn't answer the question. Yugi cringed but resisted the impulse to hit the man's hand away or correct his mispronounced name.

"Uh...Japan, he's from a really lowly part of that nation, you see the poor boy was risen by the heartless gang his parents were a part of. But there's nothing that good old London can't do to take the ruffian out of a rebellious lad eh?" Vernon said in a sort of chummy voice that made Yugi want to vomit, but to emphasis what Vernon was saying he put on a downcast and aggravated look that reflected how he felt in far fewer emotions. Mr. Gutman finally relented and brought his hand back, now staring down upon Yugi as though looking upon some sort of uncivilized savage as Vernon had intended.

"Quite right Vernon. Now, you said you had some promising drills you wished to show to me? I'm afraid I have another engagement in a short while, so our meeting will have to be brief," Mr. Gutman said with a slightly impatient tone, and Vernon immediately nodded and led them both from the room swiftly, dragging Yugi this time by the shoulder down five flights of stairs out onto the work yard and into the largest of the warehouses next to the office building. Yugi sighed and followed along though this was a far more grueling task than he had imagined. He had never felt so humiliated in all his life, especially when Vernon and Mr. Gutman began talking to one another about him as though he were oblivious to what they were saying.

"Tragic to see children turned into such repulsive urchins. You really should enroll him in one of those correctional facilities while he's here, they've worked wonders with some of the patients that are admitted. Take my son Colton for example, he was a rebellious little fellow, always using foul language and such. One week in that facility and he comes home a transformed boy, never speaking unless spoken to, following my every command without argument. I swear it was like receiving a new son to replace my unsatisfactory old one," Mr. Gutman said with a laugh, grimacing once more at Yugi's tri-colored hair and pressing a tissue to his nose as though he smelt something rotten.

"Or a slave..." Yugi muttered under his breath quietly, keeping his gaze lowered as to not reveal his growing anger.

The warehouse was enormous, spanning out as far as the eye could see and filled with every machine imaginable it seemed. Yugi tried to divert his anger and gloom by watching them churn and manufacture, watching as raw parts entered into a machine and exited as entire drills after being systematic assembly. It was amazing to see what technology could do these days.

"I'm interested in looking into some of the larger variety of drills. My construction company is building some residential homes and many of them want the works; pools, basements and the like," Mr. Gutman said, and Vernon smiled that cheesy grin again. Bigger drills meant bigger monthly payments for those drills. Yugi sighed and tagged along, having little trouble keeping his downtrodden look continuous.

"These are our standard drills right here, finest quality you'll see in all of London I assure you," Vernon said with a proud expression coming over his face, and Mr. Gutman took a moment to examine the drills and read off some information about them from a packet that Vernon had provided him, nodding several times and examining it.

"They seem of fine quality indeed Vernon. I believe that they will make fine additions to my equipment collection back at the construction center. I can see that you are an honest and candid man, especially seeing you nurturing this small guttersnipe into a decent and well-bred young man," thusly he began to pat Yugi's head again in that domineering fashion, nearly shoving his head down into spinal column with the force he applied. He looked down upon him through his cooper-wired spectacles with a look that you would imagine someone gives to a rabid dog about to be euthanized. "It is too bad that you couldn't be raised at all properly by your ruffian parents though. Just look at that obnoxious hair of yours, and that starved body you have, probably ravaged from the drugs you more than likely got off the streets there. But at least it's not too late to purge you of the bad blood from which you were born."

Yugi couldn't have felt any lower at this point. Being called a 'guttersnipe' wasn't exactly what someone looked forward to, and he didn't even know what it meant, only that it was some degrading term. Even if none of this stuff was true, it still hurt like it was. He hung his head and sighed sadly as the man continued to make his unfounded and demeaning comments about his appearance.

Yami materialized next to the drill manufacturing machine, watching as everything unfolded and listening as Mr. Gutman ridiculed Yugi continuously though it was obviously bothering him with each hurtful statement. Yami's once stoic expression, upon seeing this, instantly turned into one of damnation and hatred.

"If you wish to see bad blood then I will show you some of your own," Yami said, reaching up and resting his hand against the machine. Automatically it began to act strange, and as Mr. Gutman and Vernon continued to chatter to one another about him and Grunnings, Yugi turned to see Yami standing there.

"Yami? What are you doing?" Yugi asked curiously upon seeing the spirit, but as he spoke Yami suddenly vanished once more, removing his hand from the surface of the machine as a slightly cunning smile coming over his face. He disappeared as Yugi still questioned his sudden presence.

Almost immediately afterwards the drill machine's once strange actions began to become chaotic, and all three of them looked in horror as the drill that was currently being assembled suddenly was lifted from the machine by an unseen force and hurled itself at a stunned and unmoving Mr. Gutman, who seemed too shocked to even more from where he stood.

"Look out!" Yugi shouted, leaping forward and pushing the spellbound man to the ground at the last second. The drill went flying overhead and crashed into another machine across the span of the warehouse. Vernon stood by watching in absolute horror as this all played out, probably more concerned with his business negotiations than Yugi or Mr. Gutman's lives.

But before they even had a chance to recover the danger reemerged, this time from the machine that had been impacted from the wayward drill. As the metal stabbed into the machine, its internal parts suddenly came catapulting from it, small bolts and washers that had somehow dislodged themselves from the mainframe of the structure. Vernon and Mr. Gutman were instantly pelted with the small bits of metal, but as Yugi stood to his feet once more and watched on, he found himself completely safe. Yami had erected an unseen shield around him the small machine parts simply ricocheted off of.

Yugi suddenly felt Vernon grip his shoulder again, having seen that Yugi was immune to the incidents occurring around them. His face was red with rage and hatred, and Yugi attempted to pry himself from the man's painful grip but was unable to as Vernon unleashed his fury upon him.

"Stop this now, or I'll wring your scrawny neck!" Vernon demanded, but Yugi shook his head with a guiltless expression upon his face.

"I'm not the one responsible!" he shouted back, suddenly looking up into the air as a sudden movement caught his attention. One of the rafters up ahead had managed to free itself and was hovering overhead, moving into the appropriate place where it would land perfectly upon Vernon Dursley's head.

"Watch out!" Yugi shouted, reaching around and grabbing onto Vernon's arm and attempting to yank him out of the way. This was no easy task considering the differentiation in their sizes, but just as Vernon stumbled out of the way the beam came crashing down upon the ground. Though Yugi had just saved his life, Vernon only looked all the more wrathful.

"You're a freak, just like that monstrosity already living in our house," Vernon spat, but Yugi was more concerned with locating where Yami was now so he could tell him to stop. He spotted the spirit responsible for the chaos sitting high up upon a rafter just like the one he had attempted to crush Vernon with just now.

"Yami stop!" he shouted, and for a moment the chaos continued as Yami stared down on his with a questioning expression. Then the ancient spirit sighed and raised his hands, silencing the restless machines and their rebellion. Yugi sighed with relief as Mr. Gutman and Vernon came to their senses once again.

"You little urchin, you're the one who sabotaged these machines aren't you?" Mr. Gutman suddenly accused in a dark tone, and Yugi spun around just in time to get hit across the face by the furious businessman, who appeared even angrier than Vernon, if that was even possible. Yugi rubbed the now stinging flesh as Mr. Gutman continued with his verbal rampage, directed both towards Yugi and a stunned Vernon.

"I have never seen such a despicable and filthy creature such as this delinquent you welcomed into your home Vernon. Just look at me! I have dinner with a promising client in fifteen minutes! I will see to it that you get locked up in a correctional facility ten times worse than the one I described earlier," Mr. Gutman raged, when suddenly Yugi watched in surprise and slight horror as a tape measure suddenly picked itself up from the workbench nearby and flung itself into the back of Mr. Gutman's head. The gaunt and nasty man feel forwards without another word and fell unconscious with a sickening thud upon the hard metal ground below. The tape measure then picked itself up once again from the ground and came to rest back where it had been before as though nothing had happened.

Vernon wheeled upon Yugi, grasping him this time by his hair and dragging his from the warehouse as on-site medical staff came to Mr. Gutman's aid. Behind them the machines slowly came together once more, the drill soaring up from the floor and falling back into the manufacturing machine as the bolts and washers went back into place and the rafter cemented itself back up near the ceiling. Of course nobody noticed this with their backs turned, though Yugi couldn't help but smile slightly at the sight of Mr. Gutman staggering around muttering something incoherent in his disorientation.

"I'll see to it you're shipped back to the rotten country I scrapped you out of by tomorrow evening, with my report that you were the most hellish and atrocious little spawn of Satan I have ever laid eyes on," Vernon promised, pulling him back to the car and literally tossing him into the backseat like an article of luggage, getting behind the wheel and driving off, too embarrassed to be seen around the firm any longer after the previous incidents.

With Vernon too hateful to even face him, Yami found it an opportune time to materialize beside Yugi, looking slightly proud of what he had done. "See, it wasn't so hard to have you sent back home with a little...persuasion," Yami said with a satisfied grin, but all Yugi could do was sigh and sink back against the seat of the car with his head hung.

"Yeah, but that also means spending another day and a half with a family that hates me and then facing grandpa's anger when I get home, though I'm sure he'd believe me if I told them they had it all wrong, which, as a matter of fact, they do, considering _I _didn't do all that," Yugi said, his head suddenly sinking into the folds of the suit as he sulked.

"They believe that you were the one doing all of that? I'm sorry Yugi, that wasn't what I intended," Yami said, but Yugi simply shrugged and sighed.

"It's not like this entire stay here in London would have been any better anyways even if I had played the misguided 'street urchin,' and besides I'll be going home tomorrow and that's all that matters," Yugi said a little too loudly, for them Vernon whirled around and started to lecture him wrathfully again.

"Who are you talking to boy?" Vernon spat, and Yugi's eyes darted speedily to the seat next to his to see that Yami had vanished once more in time.

"Noth-Nothing sir..." Yugi said meekly, and Vernon spun back around and continued to mutter to himself angrily as Yugi sighed with relief that Yami hadn't been seen. Yugi actually admitted to himself that he missed the weight of the Millennium Puzzle around his neck, considering Petunia had absolutely refused to allow him to wear it today with the business meeting. It wasn't like it had made a difference anyways. Once Yami had set his mind to something he saw it commenced.

Yugi smiled slightly however with the prospect of going home. It would be the end of an excursion he had hoped to have fun and excitement on, but so long as he got away from these horrible people it was enough to bring him some happiness.

'You never know how much you've got back home until you've left it I guess...'

**Author's Note: **To those of you who asked in your reviews or are just curious, I'm strictly a non-yaoi/slash writer of fanfics, so no there won't be any in this story, though I hope it won't discourage you from reading it. Here are the pairings that will, however, be within 'In Days of Sorcery': Tea/Tristan, Duke/Serenity, Seto/Ishizu, Harry/Hermione, Ron/Fleur, Draco/Pansy, Yami/Moaning Myrtle (One-sided) and a little bit of Hagrid/Minerva McGonagall. There will also be references to James/Lily as well (of course), and other characters of Yu-Gi-Oh will also come into the plot as well in case you were curious. And that's all folks!


	4. Suspicions

Yugi immediately retreated to his shared room upstairs with a stern look from Vernon, who appeared to be holding back his undying hatred for him. He simply wrenched off his shoes on the welcome mat and tossed his overgrown dress coat onto the rack before he sprinted up the carpeted stairs, nearly being drawn into Dudley's boisterous flab when he bumped into the massive boy within the hallway. He sprinted into Harry's room and locked the door, turning and expecting to see perhaps his only ally giving him a sarcastic look.

But the room was empty, and he retreated to plopping down onto the rickety old bed as he had many times in the past at his own home whenever something discouraging happened.

'You would think after combating what I have it would be easily to take ridicule...' he said, sighing and turning over to face the blank, dull ceiling overhead.

"Yami, I know what you did earlier was for my well being, and I do thank you for your concern, but how many times do I have to tell you that things are different here in my time and era? It's not an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth or whatever else you were taught; murder here is a crime, the worst of them," Yugi lectured wearily as Yami sighed and looked a bit aggravated he was unable to intervene in the method of his choosing, but he knew he had to honor Yugi's wishes regardless of what he himself wanted.

"The world would be a better place without them; how can that be considered murder?" Yami mumbled as he hovered around the room and came to rest beside Harry's caged owl Hedwig, who surprisingly wasn't at all affected by a ghost looming near her. Yugi puzzled over this for a moment and then turned his attention back to the ancient spirit.

"I agree that they are probably some of the rudest people I've ever met, but that isn't any reason to _kill them_," Yugi said, a faint smile coming onto his face as he realized the extent of the pharaoh's rashness.

Suddenly the doorknob into the room began to rattle and their brief conversation was cut short as Harry walked in, still wet from his shower and readjusting his glasses wearily.

"I see you're back from the oh-so-fun business meeting. So...how did it go? Judging by Vernon's asinine yelling downstairs, I take it not so well?" Harry said, and Yugi sighed again and fell backwards into the lumpy, fraying pillows with his eyes closed in regret.

"Things seemed to be going okay, and then some really weird things happened and Vernon blamed all of it on me and so did his business associate Mr. Gutman. He even struck me because of it..." Yugi said quietly, still feeling the raw area on his face where the raging man had hit him right before Yami had managed to knock him unconscious, and Harry listened to all of this in an undying silence.

Yugi listened for a moment but there came no response from the usually quick-witted boy, who he had expected to make some sort of comment about his uncle once again, and he opened his eyes to see Harry looking somewhat concerned about something he couldn't identify. He was mumbling a bit to himself, but keeping his voice low enough so Yugi couldn't hear a word he was saying.

"Is something wrong Harry?" Yugi asked quietly, and the boy immediately snapped out of the almost trance-like state he had fallen into. He put on a sort of nervous smile that didn't have Yugi convinced very much at all.

"No, nothing's wrong. I'm just tired is all; didn't get a lot of sleep last night. I think it was between either your annoying snoring or the fact that you talk loudly in your sleep that caused this," Harry laughed a bit opening the blinds to let in the late afternoon sunshine, but Yugi was now doing his muttering to himself as well.

"Do I really snore and talk in my sleep?" he muttered towards the Millennium Puzzle swiftly before Harry saw him talking to out-of-place spirits.

Yami replied, "Yes, very loudly. I can hear all the way within the Puzzle every night."

Yugi poked the Puzzle swiftly with a bit of an annoyed expression before turning back to Harry as he crossed the room back to his temporary bed beside the dresser.

"Well, at least you'll have your bed back after tonight..." Yugi began, though it still hurt him to know that the foreign exchange program he had looked so forward to was coming to an end early because he had been placed with perhaps the most horrible people on the face of the planet.

"What are you talking about? You still have a few more days to stay with us don't you?" Harry said, reaching up to pull Hedwig's cage off of his dresser and sooth her restlessness over something.

"Your uncle said that he's sending me back early since he believes I was responsible for all those incidents that occurred at his firm today. First thing tomorrow morning your life goes back to normal, well, as normal as it was before," Yugi said, rubbing the dark lines forming under his eyes.

Harry was quiet for a moment, absorbing this it seemed. "I don't see what you could have done to make him go quite that overboard."

"Some really serious accidents occurred at the drill firm while we were touring the assembly warehouses. He blamed everything that happened on me, but then he was almost killed. People act irrationally when something that dangerous happens around them," Yugi had no idea why he was defending Vernon's actions against him, but then Yami had almost been the end of both Mr. Gutman and Vernon Dursley. And now matter how evil they were to other people, he couldn't defend Yami's actions either. And it would sound somewhat strange to be justifying the actions of a spirit inhabiting yourself when Harry had no idea of just what the Millennium Puzzle held in its depths.

"Don't let it get you down Yugi; Little Whinging is filled to the brim with snobs, but the rest of Britain is definitely worth coming back to visit. And don't let anything my uncle told you get you down either; he pays off any inspectors that try to shut him down with the poor quality of his equipment, so it was his own carelessness that more than likely put him in danger. If anything, he should be apologizing to you," Harry said, and Yugi felt a bit more encouraged. Harry was the only person who had spoken to him on a friendly and casual level so far since he had arrived, and he was grateful to have at least one bearable presence around.

"Thank you Harry, you've probably the only decent person I've met since I arrived here," Yugi said quietly beginning to pack his things once more, folding his clothes with a downhearted expression.

From downstairs they could the echoes of Vernon raging angrily at whatever unfortunate object got into his way, the sounds of things shattering and breaking quite prominent with his shouts.

"That bloody demon child managed to ruin any hopes of ever making a deal with Gutman and his construction business. And now it's all over the bloody news! My sales are going to plummet through the floor with this bad publicity, and it's all the workings of that little _urchin_!" Vernon said, and Yugi could hear distant mumblings as the television reported what had indeed occurred at the firm that day, though he involuntarily smiled briefly as they mentioned that the only one harmed was Mr. Gutman. He felt a bit guilty about this, but that strike Mr. Gutman had dealt him had been just as uncalled for.

"Wow, I don't think I've heard him so angry before, well, at least at someone else besides me," Harry said with a faint grin, helping Yugi to gather his belongings with a sort of apologetic expression. "But I really do mean it; you should come back and visit sometime. You're sure to get a family that's a hundred times better than this one next time."

Yugi nodded and clasped the latches on his suitcase, excusing himself to the bathroom to change out of the horrid suit that Petunia had forced him into before the meeting. He found Yami waiting for him in the vanity mirror once more, looking somewhat sorry but prepared to explain his rash actions.

"Those men deserved what they received for how they treated you Yugi; I decided that if you weren't going to do anything about it yourself that I would have to intercede to protect your honor," Yami said as Yugi literally stepped out of the oversized suit and into his normal clothes once more, feeling far more comfortable to be out of that virtual circus tent.

"I know you were only trying to help, but that's just not how we handle things in this time. Vengeance through those kind of methods died out long ago, when we adapted a thing called laws," Yugi said a bit sarcastically, fishing out a comb from the vanity and quickly running it through his hair to straighten it. After having been pulled across all of Grunnings throughout the day, he was looking a little worse for wear.

"Well at least you will be rid of this place soon enough and returned home where you belong," Yami said, sounding relieved though Yugi was still down about being deported so quickly from the foreign lands. He had wanted to see far more than an oppressive household and the interior of a boring drilling company.

He exited the bathroom and headed back to Harry's room, where he saw his only ally had slipped out in his own absence once again. But something else caught his eye; the book that Harry usually concealed when someone entered the room laid untouched upon the makeshift bed he had created before his dresser. In the dark he couldn't make out a title, but as he approached he reached up and turned on the shabby overhead light via the pull-string that hung from the ceiling, crouching down beside the odd, rather old-looking text.

"_Facing the Darkest of Dark Arts_ by Ignatius Saunergrove. That's a strange name for a book..." Yugi said to himself, wedging his fingers into the pages of the text and preparing to see its contents, when suddenly a pair of footsteps ascending the staircase alerted him of Harry's return. He quickly leapt from the floor onto the bed and pretended to have not even noticed the book on the floor at all.

Harry entered carrying two trays of food he had scrounged from below, mostly stuff he had poured out of bags and containers in a mad rush. "Do you always talk to yourself when you're in the bathroom?" he asked humorously as he set Yugi's tray down upon the bed and retreated to his own spot.

Yugi felt the hair rise on the back of his neck as he realized he must have been speaking too loud to Yami, loud enough at least for Harry to overhear him. "Well...no, not usually...I'm just stressed from what happened and..."

"Believe me, I've seen far stranger things than someone talking to themselves, believe me," he said this in all seriousness, but Yugi was just glad he didn't accuse him of speaking to spirits as he truly had been. In fact, he was a little surprised that Harry simply waved it off as though it was an everyday thing, just like every other odd thing that occurred.

Yugi began to eat his meal quietly, suddenly feeling that something was amiss but unable to put his finger on it. Harry began to write something on what looked like old paper, but he dismissed his suspicions by telling him it was a summer assignment for English. The feeling had come when he had first spotted the title of that book, but by the time he had finished his light lunch he still couldn't place what was bothering him specifically.

"Is Harry part of some strange cult or something? I can't think of anything school-related that you'd read a book containing the 'dark arts' for..." Yugi thought uneasily to himself as he set his tray on the nightstand and pulled out a paperback book of his own to read and keep himself entertained until night fell.

Harry peered up from where he was writing, glad to see Yugi now distracted at least in part by something. He was also happy to see his excuse had managed to divert Yugi from the presence of the parchment he was using, though he found it awkward using a regular pen once again after having used his trustworthy quill ones for so long. He wrote somewhat sloppily, but he wanted to get his message out as soon as possible.

_Dear Dumbledore, this is Harry writing. There's something strange going on at my house right now that I think you should be aware about. I'm beginning to believe that the boy my relatives have taken in as a foreign exchange student may have emerging magical abilities..._


	5. More than Mere Darkness

Night had settled in rather peacefully, a great relief to Yugi that he would at least be refreshed in going home tomorrow. The darkness outside the window eventually made its way in, and after an entire day of being trapped in the bedroom for fear of being targeted once more by the still raging Vernon Dursley, he was indeed weary from the lack of activity.

Harry was working by solitary candlelight now, having written several lengthy essays on the strange rolls of parchment paper he had in his possession, but Yugi was still at least partially convinced this was some sort of strange English assignment as he had claimed. It was true that some teachers were just more creative and unorthodox than others, but he hoped that the Dursley's themselves never came upon that book or any others that Harry stashed up here. Knowing their fears of the unknown, they probably would have locked the boy away in an insane asylum by now if they had caught sight of the mere title of that text Yugi had spotted.

Harry muttered to himself several times, probably believing that Yugi was asleep and could not hear his private ramblings. "McGonagall's going to have my head if I don't make this long enough...not to mention old Snape will measure my Potions essay to the exact millimeter in length. This only serves to make summer vacation even more fun than it already is doesn't it Hedwig?" he asked his owl with a sarcastic grin, now scribbling various notes and references from his books with a quill pen, which made the sight even odder, but Yugi was now too tired to care about the oddities of this household any longer.

He rolled over onto his side and began to fall asleep, never noticing as Harry rolled up a smaller document from earlier and placed it into the capable claws of Hedwig and sent her out the window with a faint whisper.

"Take that directly to Dumbledore. Yugi's leaving tomorrow and I want him to read it before then if possible," he murmured to his animal familiar, and she instantly soared off into the night and disappeared into the prominent moonlight spilling over the slumbering lands.

Harry turned and was thankful that Yugi had fallen asleep by this time and not seen him send a message by owl; he could tell the boy was beginning to catch on to his strange ways and research. But then Yugi himself acted rather strange, leading him to suspect more so than ever that Yugi was hiding something himself. Perhaps the events at Grunnings were not so much a mystery to Yugi as he had said, but then it could be he was developing magical abilities as Harry himself had several years before with the vanishing glass at the zoo. It was a 'better safe than sorry' scenario, but he wasn't going to lose any sleep over it. He returned to his homemade bed on the floor and blew out the flickering candles with a quick breath of air, lying back and falling subtly into slumber as he listened to the winds cause the old curtains to waft and dance chaotically.

For a few hours nothing happened. Eventually all the Dursley's went to bed as well until the entire household had fallen into a quiet solace, nothing stirring within the vicinity as Yugi dreamed of returning home to his friends after the awful trip he had taken here. It was only a short while after everyone had retired, however, that the atmosphere began to distort.

The once calm, drawling winds once giving a refreshing breeze into the room died down into nothing, the curtains falling still and the branches of the trees outside no longer trembling in their wake. The sounds of the animals and insects that dwelled outside during the night silenced as well, and no noise of human life came either. No cars on the nearby streets, no neighborhood cats taking chase to a scampering mouse. It was utter silence, and it went unnoticed by the slumbering populace.

Yugi opened his eyes faintly, hardly even awake at all as he felt the scratchy surface of his throat, crying out for water and not allowing him to sleep peacefully any longer. He attempted to swallow to solve the problem, but his mouth was just as dry and he realized he had no choice but to get himself up and retrieve some water. He was right about to roll onto his back and try to wake up when suddenly he heard something.

It was the sound of someone moving about downstairs, but not the familiar shuffle of footsteps on the floor. It sounded like the rustle of cloaks as they softly hit against the floorboards, and Yugi instinctively felt his blood run cold. He could hear the kitchen door he had spotted opening and closing gently where it had been left open, and he dared not look out from where he was concealed beneath the dulled covers of the bed. His eyes were unblinking, and he could barely even breathe as he heard but one stair creak and all was silent again.

It was then that he noticed the quiet, the seemingly impenetrable absence of noise and the life it signaled. He clutched the quilts sprawled over him tightly, unable to move but only quake where he lied as the door into the solemn bedroom slowly creaked open. He wondered if Harry was awake and knew there were intruders within his home, but a faint snoring seemed to safely say he was unaware. Yugi could feel the presence of others within the room, filing in with such careful silence that he could almost sense an inhuman property within them.

He knew he was surrounded, these beings gathering around him as he questioned frantically within the sanctity of his mind what could be done. His eyes darted around the darkness he had caged himself within, seeing the figures cast against the deluded moonlight that entered into the bedroom through the fabric. They wore hoods over their heads so he couldn't make out any definite shapes, but it was all becoming too similar to the Rare Hunters he had faced back at home. Was it their presence here he was feeling right now? How had they known he was here?

The more he considered this, the more unlikely it could be them slowly beginning to imprison him within his temporary home. So who were these beings, and what did they want with him?

"This is almost too easy; here he sleeps without knowledge of the danger he is in," came a soft, deadly whisper as he continued to shake, listening to his teeth clatter gently as a hand suddenly reached down slowly and grasped the end of the blanket. Before Yugi knew it, the blanket was wrenched away and the unseen adversaries were all around him.

He screamed instantly in fear, backing against the headboard immediately as a unified gasp came across the handful of cloaked individuals around the bed, all of them concealed by the darkness of their hoods and clothing. Yugi shivered and watched as they stepped away slightly in surprise.

"Who is this? Perhaps Harry Potter's filthy muggle family has moved to somewhere else," came the dark voice of their leader, who stood to Yugi's immediate right and held something long and slender in his hand. Yugi could see it vaguely in the dark, but then he was so terrified by their presence alone he did not wish to see what weapon could be used against him.

"No, look! The boy slumbers over there! " came another masculine voice, pointing to where Harry was only beginning to stir in his makeshift bed but having not fully awakened yet.

"Har-!" Yugi attempted to shout in warning, but the leader's hand clamped over his mouth and he was unable to speak. As Yugi watched in absolute terror, the strange, black-cloaked figures suddenly began to approach his slumbering ally, and he couldn't do anything but watch.

Suddenly he felt the Millennium Puzzle stir, and looked down to see it was shimmering with a warming light as Yami was called forth from his fears. 'Please Yami...you have to do something or he might be harmed, or worse...'

Suddenly the light shot out from all of Yugi's being, and his captor was thrust backwards into the wall as the others were cast in different directions. They let out muffled shrieks of surprise, and once they had subsided to where Yami had channeled the energy against them, only Harry's utterly stunned eyes were staring back through his misaligned glasses.

"Well, that certainly explains a few things..." Harry finally said in a shocked tone of voice, but before anything else could be revealed, Yugi was suddenly seized once more when his previous captor recovered and wrapped his arm tightly around his throat. The man suddenly extended forward his other hand, revealing the object he had been holding to be what looked like a simple stick. 'What's he going to do, poke Harry to death with it or something...?' Yugi thought in confusion, but as Harry himself seized his own wooden wand, Yugi realized there must be something more to it.

"Leave Yugi alone; I'm the one you're after anyways," Harry said hatefully towards the individuals, keeping his weapon aimed at the leading Death Eater as Yugi struggled with all his might to pull free.

"Unfortunately we're not known for leaving behind survivors or witnesses Potter; I thought you would have learned that by now," Lucius Malfoy laughed, tightening his grasp around Yugi's throat until he was being strangled and lashing about for his life. The other Death Eaters gathered to his sides once they had managed to get back onto their feet once more, their wands all drawn as well as Harry felt panic rising from within him and fought to keep it from consuming him.

He had to get Yugi free, or else the boy would be taken down alongside him when he had no involvement with this at all. He knew he couldn't take down all the Death Eaters at once, but then, he didn't necessarily need to in order to free Yugi...

"Impedimenta!" he shouted, aiming his wand directly at Lucius and happy to see it had taken some effect upon him and the Death Eaters nearby. Before any of them could react properly he rushed forwards and wrenched Yugi from Lucius, though finding it hard to get him to safety considering the spell had taken affect upon him as well and had slowed all his bodily movement to a near standstill.

"What's...happening...?" Yugi asked very slowly, looking behind as the Death Eaters could only force themselves to move at a snail's pace in aggression.

"Don't worry Yugi, it's eventually going wear off. We've got to get out of here quickly; Accio Firebolt!" Harry shouted, extending his hand just in time to catch a lithe form moving swiftly through the air. Yugi identified it as a broomstick within a moment, but flying maintenance tools was the least of their worries at the moment.

The Death Eaters looked prepared to blast them into oblivion from the hatred Yugi could suddenly sense, but their leader held up a hand to halt any onslaughts they had previously been planning. The strange spell that Harry had managed to cast on them appeared to be wearing off as they spoke coherently once again. Harry swore under his breath, realizing his panic had made the spell weakened and incredibly temporary.

"He wishes for us to bring Harry to him alive," Lucius took aim with his own wand and spat out an attack before anyone could dare move, "Silencio!"

A strange energy emitted from the wand unlike anything that Yugi had ever seen before, slithering through the air in the blink of an eye and striking Harry with a seemingly harmless force. Harry suddenly reached up and grasped his throat, attempting to speak but unable to produce any sound at all even as his mouth moved. Yugi watched this in horror, realizing that now he could no longer speak the words needed to combat them any longer.

But Harry took action immediately afterwards regardless of the fact that he could no longer speak. Quickly he seized Yugi by the collar of his jacket and wrenched him onto the hovering broomstick, jumping on himself just ahead of him as the Death Eaters closed in, their hoods suddenly back as they were forced to face their captors.

"You will not be able to escape Harry, so I suggest he get off your broomstick and simply surrender yourself. You wouldn't want to endanger anyone else besides this new friends of yours would you? We can always arrange for the others to make a stop by the Weasley's home and make sure that none of them awaken..." Lucius threatened, and Harry looked desperately around himself, thinking of something, anything that could be done.

He turned suddenly and handed his odd-looking wand to Yugi, who stared at it in confusion, looking from it to Harry considering he had no idea what Harry wanted him to do with it. The Death Eaters found this entirely amusing as dark laughter poured out of them and Yugi remained entirely lost as to what he was supposed to do.

Harry began to silently voice something, and Yugi realized he wanted him to read his lips and say whatever he was saying. Harry pushed the wand's end away from himself with a cautious expression and began to read off the word slowly as Lucius and the others began to approach, and Yugi did his best to translate though the word seemed fairly long.

"Ex-Experiment? No...ex...expel..." Harry nodded and continued as he got the first part right, "Expeller...no? Expell...i-ar...?" Harry nodded frantically once again, finishing the word with as Yugi continued to repeat it swiftly. "Expelliarmur? Expelliarmas? No, no...wait! I got it! Expelliarmus!"

Suddenly the unidentified energy shot from the wand once again, and Yugi watched in triumphant wonder as the energy managed to simultaneously knock all the wands of the Death Eaters from their hands.

As they frantically began to search for their wands in the darkness of the room Harry swiftly took action, guiding the Firebolt towards the door expediently and then out into the hallways, having trouble maneuvering it through the tight confines of the Dursley home. He and Yugi nearly bumped their head several times onto the sloping ceiling over the stairway, finally reaching the base of them and finding the screen door in the kitchen unlocked and waiting for them as the quickest escape route. Harry quickened the pace of the broomstick though it was still hard to fly it with so many obstacles in the way, hearing the footsteps of the Death Eaters following behind closely as they prepared to attack them from within the living room the moment they got an opportunity to.

Harry thrust open the door and soared out into the night without even looking back, his entire body shaking as he realized how close to captivity he had been, and how close to death Yugi had almost been as well. He looked down to see the Dursley home disappear from sight, and watched as the Death Eaters that had attacked them gathered down upon the street and watched him escape, fearing their punishments when they returned to their master empty-handed.

"Uh...Harry? What just happened back there?" Yugi asked weakly and in a terrified, high-pitched voice, still grasping his wand as he shook about a hundred times more violently that Harry was, having never witnessed anything like that display before in the past.

The effects of the Silencio spell hadn't yet worn off, and all Harry could do was shake his head in a negative fashion and continue flying the Firebolt into the night, praying he would be able to get to the Weasley home to warn them before the Death Eaters turned up on their doorstep like they had promised.

'Well, so much for a subtle introduction into the wizarding world...' Harry thought wearily to himself as they vanished into the darkness of the night.


	6. Meet the Weasley's

Yugi was still shaking after what had happened, unable to forget the wrath and darkness he had felt in those figures that had attacked them. He could still feel that man's cold fingers wrapped around his neck, threatening to strangle him should he attempt to flee or warn Harry of their appearance. He had never felt so helpless before, even in the face of many other evils he had come against before.

"I don't know if you're able to talk again yet, but who exactly were those men? And why were they after you?" Yugi asked quietly, grasping the handle of the broom with all his might as he watched the earth pass by below them. Homes still lit before the night fully set in were like streaks across the darkness considering their original speed, but they were beginning to slow down as they seemed to be gradually approaching their destination.

Harry suddenly responded to Yugi's subtle questioning, though his voice was obviously still being affected by the spell; it was so low that Yugi could just barely hear him over the sound of the winds rushing by. "It would take me far too long to explain it right now. All you need to know is that those men are called Death Eaters, and they were after me because they are servants to a very powerful dark sorcerer who wants me dead."  
Yugi was silent for a moment, and didn't even move as he absorbed this. "Well, that was rather abrupt. Yet you don't seem entirely worried about it now that we've gotten away from them."

"I know somewhere we can stay, but once we get there I have to contact the Ministry and inform them of what's happened, as well as Dumbledore if I can get a hold of him at this hour," Harry said, and though Yugi didn't recognize a single name nor organization he muttered, he was still slightly comforted by the fact that this occurrence didn't have Harry in a panic as was not his own case.

"Where exactly are we going now? There won't be anymore of those 'Death Eaters' there will there be?" Yugi asked quietly, watching as the nose of the broom suddenly directed towards the shrouded world below, aiming towards their apparent safe haven.

"I hope not," was all Harry said in reply.

They landed in the blink of an eye on the soft ground below, still damp from the previous rains they had gotten in the evening, and the air hung heavily around them as Harry seized up his broom and grasped Yugi by his wrist, dragging him along. Yugi could barely see where they were headed in the thick darkness, watching only the lights shining through several windows up ahead. He heard voices coming from the structure as well, numerous ones speaking at different levels, but before he could decipher anything that was being said Harry was pounding with all his might at the shabby door standing before them.

A hush came over the house and then the sounds of thundering footsteps followed. Harry placed a firm hand on Yugi's shoulder, a silent signal that whomever was coming to greet them was an ally, and suddenly the door thrust open and they were bathed in a glimmering light from within, a figure standing before them that Yugi half expected to be an awaiting Death Eater once more.

"Harry dear? What're you doing here at such an hour? Did something happen to your aunt and uncle? Oh, and who's this little friend of yours?" Mrs. Weasley asked several questions in sequence, spotting Yugi as he remained somewhat hidden behind Harry, still very spooked from what had happened earlier.

"I can't explain it all right now. I have to get in touch with Fudge as soon as I can," Harry said immediately, his tone deathly serious, and Mrs. Weasley nodded and stood aside as he entered, though Yugi was utterly confused when as he watched him walk right past an old telephone perched atop a stack of other miscellaneous items.

"Are you one of Harry's friends from school?" Mrs. Weasley asked, ruffling the already messy hair on Yugi's head and gently guiding him inside. He had to admit it felt a lot better to be welcomed into the warmth of the odd home than standing outside waiting to be attack once again.

"No, I'm a foreign exchange student his aunt and uncle took in," Yugi muttered, his voice shaking slightly as he observed the strange items surrounding him. A clock nearby, instead of having numbers all across it, instead had several individual locations written across it, along with long minute hands that each had a name written on them. Currently, all of them were position over the 'At Home' category. The interior design of the house was also baffling; it held a style to it he had only seen in storybooks, like the dwellings of mystical beings in medieval days.

"You must be freezing after coming all the way here from the Dursley home. Come into the living room and we'll get you warmed up by the fire," Mrs. Weasley said softly but with a somewhat nervous tone. Yugi nodded and followed her into a cozy, rather large living area where a fire was indeed roaring in a lively fashion. He sat onto the sofa perched before it and allowed himself to warm, listening as Mrs. Weasley suddenly scurried from the room in what appeared to be a repressed panic herself.

'Okay, there's definitely something going on here. I mean, what happened back there at the Dursley home? Harry had a wand…it has to be magic of some kind. But then how did I do it? Maybe it was the magic of the Millennium Puzzle that allowed me to?' Yugi sat back into the rough, loose padding of the upholstery and lazily blew some hair out of his face. 'I really hope Harry has the time to answer some questions. Because if I keep questioning myself like this, my brain may turn into gelatin.'

He suddenly heard voices arise in the nearby kitchen, and considering he wasn't getting anywhere with simply questioning himself, he moved over to the opposite end of the couch and listened, through keeping his gaze transfixed away from the threshold so he didn't arise suspicion of eavesdropping.

"Harry, how did all of this happen? Your Muggle friend has obviously witnessed your magic; he seems so afraid and confused. Did something terrible happen? Is your family all right back at their home?" Mrs. Weasley asked in a rush, her voice reaching piercing heights as her worry peaked with every word. Yugi's face distorted into one of even more bafflement as he heard the foreign word amongst the others.

'What's a _Muggle_? And how am I one?'

Harry cleared his throat and began to tell of what had happened earlier that evening. "It was the Death Eaters; they entered the Dursley's home and were obviously going to try and capture me. But Yugi was staying in my room with me and I allowed him to sleep in my bed, and they first attacked him thinking it was me. But when they realized it wasn't, they were prepared to kill him and then restrain me to take me to You-Know-Who."

There was an uneasy silence that fell after this statement. Yugi cocked an eyebrow and felt tempted to see their obviously stunned expressions. 'Who in the world is You-Know-Who? I feel like I've been transported into one of those Dr. Seuss books or something…'

"I've just contact Cornelius Fudge and he says he's coming here immediately to speak with you on the occurrence, as well as bringing you the necessary protection after what occurred tonight," an older man's voice spoke, and Yugi guessed it was the husband of the woman who had led him into their home a moment ago. He rolled his feet around one another nervously as he waited for another development to occur.

Suddenly he heard it; it sounded like a stampede approaching, and Yugi instinctively turned around and watched as two rambunctious figures suddenly emerged from the nearby stairway, preparing to rush into the kitchen to see what was happening.

That is, until they caught sight of Yugi sitting on their couch with a half-confused, half-spellbound expression. The presence of a stranger in one's house never proved to comfort anyone.

"Who're you?" the boy asked. He looked maybe a year or two older than Yugi himself. He had wiry, currently unkept red hair and had a gangly build about him. His face and arms were peppered with too many freckles to count, and the younger girl that accompanied him looked precisely the same. The same red hair and countless freckles; it was like looking at a cloning process gone slightly array.

"My name's Yugi; I'm the foreign exchange student that was staying with Harry's family…well, until tonight that is," Yugi explained quietly, and the girl whispered something into her brother's ear while they both continued staring at him. He swore it contained that strange 'M' word within it once again, but before he could question them about anything they rushed into the kitchen to find their own answers. Yugi was left alone again to listen to the conversation they were holding without his involvement.

"Harry! Bloody good to see you again, though you do look a bit worse for wear," the teenage boy exclaimed, probably noting the damp and mud-splattered pajamas the two of them had arrived in. He heard Harry chuckle momentarily though it was hardly the time for it before the older man one again interjected, clearing his throat rather loudly to get their attention.

"We have to discuss what's to become of the boy you brought here with you Harry. Considering that he witnessed you perform magic, a Memory charm will probably have to be placed upon him in order to make sure he doesn't remember what he saw," the man said, and Yugi instantly felt his hair stand on end and his flesh crawl. 'A Memory Charm? I wonder if it's some sort of cursed charm bracelet that they put on you that drains you of your memories! Great…I'm beginning to think irrationally now. I have to calm myself or else this is going to get out of hand…okay more out of hand than it already is, and that will only make matters worse, well worse than they already are....'

"Are you all right Harry? I heard from upstairs that it was the Death Eaters that tried to hurt you," the girl asked weakly, sounding deeply worried about his condition.

"I'm fine, I mean I've dealt with them before in the past. It's Yugi I'm worried about; he had no idea what was going on and was completely terrified on the way here," Harry responded, and Yugi blushed slightly as he realized how obvious his horror had been. He had been attempting to keep it suppressed their whole trip to this place, but apparently he hadn't been able to hide it very well at all.

"We'll just have to wait until the Department of Muggle Defense arrives and takes care of this mess for your friend Yugi. Hopefully when this clears up he won't be plagued with remembering what those horrible Death Eaters almost did," the mother said, and Yugi sighed and turned back to the fire, suddenly watching as something almost miraculous happened before him.

The once crimson fire suddenly shot up into the air within warning up into the dark chimney, and then suddenly turned a deep emerald color as Yugi stared in utter awe of it. He didn't blink as suddenly he saw something appear, and without warning someone suddenly emerged from the flames, landing rather unceremoniously onto the ground below.

"Well, that was rather ungraceful. They have to find a better way than Floo powder to travel by these days," the boy said, just beginning to stand and brush himself off when suddenly another figure came out of the flames, landing roughly onto the first being with a thud and two pained grunts.

"George you bloody idiot! Couldn't you have waited just one moment let me get out of the way?" the first twin scowled, once again getting up and therefore knocking his brother off of himself. The other glared as well as he got back to his feet. Yugi could hardly believe how much the two of them looked like their other relatives, all that red hair everywhere.

"Well Fred, maybe if you were just faster I wouldn't have landed…on…who are you?" George suddenly asked towards Yugi who had been watching their argument against with a steadfast gaze as he attempted to derive some clue as to what was going on.

Yugi sighed and laid back onto the couch, rubbing his forehead as he simply wished that whatever fate was to come upon him just would.

'I wonder if Muggle means 'utterly confused' in some other language…'

_I felt like writing a bit of a more humorous chapter, considering the last one was pretty dramatic. Hope Yugi didn't go too far out of character, but then how would anyone react to seeing all this? Even with what's he seen before I think he'd still be in a bit of shock…ahem. Now, on to write the next chapter!_


	7. Countless Fears

It wouldn't have been so terrible waiting for answers if only Yami was there to give some solace, but Yugi had noticed his undeniable absence since their encounter with the Death Eaters mere hours before. Enough time had passed since they had arrived abruptly to the Weasley home for the first, meager rays of predawn light to shimmer across the horizon, and he still sat alone in the living room questioning if his fate had been decided, as well as what it could have been had they not managed to escape.

Suddenly, against the hushed voices coming still from the dim kitchen and the maddening ticking of the nearby grandfather clock, he heard a faint, metaphysical sound echo through the catacombs of his mind. His expression brightened a bit regardless of the fact that it appeared to be a restless chime of agony.

"Yami?" he asked himself, keeping his tone low enough so he wasn't overheard. Even with the strangeness of this situation, it wouldn't make things any better for him to be caught speaking with himself.

_"Yugi? Are you all right?"_ came the concerned voice of the entity, his voice course and holding some form of weariness within it. Yugi could easily detect these flaws in the spirit's usually controlled and alert tone.

"I'm fine Yami, but you sound horrible. Did something happen to you? Was the Puzzle damaged in all that confusion?" Yugi asked with slight panic, examining the reflective gold surface of his beloved item but finding nothing that could throw off their connection or harm Yami's already unstable form.

_"I am not sure what occurred Yugi. I used a rather simple deflection spell to save you from the clutches of those strange beings, but just after I did so I was impacted with a force that seemed to come from nowhere. It…wasn't Shadow Magic from what I could see, but it was dark, incredibly dark. It rendered me comatose within the Puzzle until just a moment ago. That is all I remember of the incident; where are we now?" _Yami explained and then asked, though it took Yugi a moment to recollect his own thoughts before he could explain.

"This is the home of some of Harry's friends, the Weasley's. They've already contacted a group of people that are going to help us recover from what happened, though I'm not sure how…" Yugi said as Yami claimed a renewed visible appearance upon the surface of a nearby, ornate vase. Yugi repressed an ill-timed laugh as he looked at the halo of flowers over Yami's head painted onto the decoration.

_"Are you absolutely sure that they mean us no harm to us Yugi? You seem hesitant and uninformed of what your fate, and mine as well, shall be once these supposed allies arrive," _Yami voiced his concerns immediately, crossing his arms in his usual, dignified manner and observing their surroundings with an eyebrow cocked at its unique qualities. _'An odd collection of relics these people have. Who knows the dangers that could truly be around us that Yugi is ignorant to…'_

"They seem nice enough Yami, I mean they welcomed us without questions or argument, and Harry appears to know them really well. They've been discussing our situation in the kitchen for quite a while, probably thinking of the best course of action."

_"They may be Harry's friends, but if their intentions are to help you then why have they not invited you to listen in on what they are planning? This could simply be an elaborate trap…"_

"I appreciate your concerns as usual Yami, but if they really wanted to harm me I think they would have done it by now. I mean I've been sitting here for nearly two hours and they haven't so much as approached me. I'd say if anything they seem almost afraid or worried about _me_."

_"Harry witnessed my release of energy at his home. He probably told them of it and they fear it occurring again. They would obviously assume that it was you that conjured it."_

"Speaking of conjuring, it looks like the Millennium Items aren't the rare handful of powerful, magical objects I once saw them as. These people, Harry and this family, they all use magic in everyday life. Twin brothers that belong to the Weasley family literally walked, or rather fell, out of the fireplace unharmed and bickering about their transport."

_"You mean they are practitioners of sorcery such as I?"_

"A different brand I think, but yes. The mother of the family gave me some freshly baked cookies and warm milk to sample earlier, and they literally levitated to me from the kitchen into here."

Yami paused with this account; pacing across the painted landscape of the vase and pondering what had occurred in the time he had been suspended in a state of slumber and paralysis. He pushed aside his fear of what had caused that assault upon him to occur and instead focused on what was to happen next.

_"I am going to venture into the kitchen and listen to what they are discussing. This way, if they are conspiring against us, then we will be able to take action and become invulnerable to whatever they have planned. If they mean us no harm, I will inform you," _Yami collaborated to Yugi, who nodded and watched as the spirit drifted from the vase and hovered into the air, staying parallel and mere inches from the ceiling so he wouldn't be noticed as he eavesdropped on their 'new' host family.  
He settled on a perch between the chestnut cabinets and rafters, keeping much of his form hidden and merely watching as concealed as was possible for him. He remained alert, though still observing the odd home in which they had entered.

The older woman in the room, obviously the mother of the Weasley family, was speaking, halfway through a conversation when he begun to listen. "… it's for the best, I suppose. The poor darling must have been horrified to see those Death Eaters looming over your bed Harry, thinking him to be you."

Harry spoke next, having been deftly sipping at some cooling tea and looking grim and soiled from their escape. "We should just be thankful we managed to get away. Those Death Eaters would have seen Yugi dead and me in Vold-…er…He-Who-Shall-not-be-Named's possession if they had had their way."

Yami's eyes quickly surveyed his surroundings, attempting to relieve some of the tensions he could sense in the air that were growing steadily. He noted the sore lack of modern-day appliances as was customary of many households of this time he had learned. Instead, there were many old-fashioned and seemingly forgotten artifacts that he had never thought he'd see in use again. A cauldron sat over a second fireplace, simmering with a rich-earthy-colored concoction. A simple sink carved of rough iron stood flawlessly clean, a wooden basin beside it with dirty dishes gathered and waiting to be cleaned. He had been exposed to so many current conveniences it was almost unfamiliar to see these things again, simple things that triggered faint, nameless memories in the back of his mind. But he was forced to shun them and concentrate on his attentions of their apparent protectors once more as they continued with their quiet discussions.

"So the Department of Muggle Defense is coming down here? They recently came into commission didn't they?" one of the twin brothers asked that Yugi had mentioned before, looking actually more amused and fascinated about their predicament than worried, which served to make Yami a touch more aggravated.

"Yes, Fudge just gave clearance for that department a month ago with the resurfacing of You-Know-Who, though…it was more established to deal with the casualties that will no doubt occur in his wake," the father said sadly, looking suddenly grim with recollections that Yami did not wish to bear witness to.

"Do you think they'll put a Memory Charm on him to make him forget?" the younger female of the group asked, looking more worried than many of the others and turning to glimpse an unaware Yugi in the living room as she spoke. There was a unified sigh as Yami felt his suspicions increasing exponentially.

"I'm afraid so honey. You know the Ministry's policy with Muggles exposed to the workings of our world; they don't want there to be a panic, or worse, an uprising. Yugi's memories will have to be taken away; it's for his own good as well. He won't remember the horror he felt this night…" the father said, but by the time he reached his final words, Yami was forcing himself through the physical barriers back into the living room to tell Yugi was what he had heard, his expression now tainted with traces of fear.

"So Yami, what did you hear in there? It was nothing like I said right?"

_"I'm afraid not Yugi; they have been speaking of erasing your memories so you cannot remember this night through a ' memory charm' they spoke of. I do not like this at all, and they did not seem concerned with your approval for this to be commenced as well."_

Yugi now looked rather uncomfortable, but potential plans of escape quickly vanished as he recalled that all his possessions and belongings were still at the Dursley's and he was on the opposite side of the world from home. It was the bleakest situation he had ever been in, and only seeming to get bleaker.

"What can we do Yami? Home is so far away and I don't have anything with me; my plane ticket and spending money are all back at Harry's aunt and uncle's home," Yugi asked desperately, but even Yami was at a loss as to what to do. He looked around frantically, pondering the same thing himself, when both their thoughts were wrenched from panic into terror with a subtle, restrained knocking at the door.

"That's them now," the father said from the kitchen.

_Too late._


	8. An Unwanted Fate

"Minister Fudge…"

"No time for greetings and friendly exchanges Weasley, there are far more important matters at hand that have to be adhered to. Ah, Harry, I was glad to hear you were all right after the attack earlier this night. I've already dispatched a team of Aurors to pursue the Death Eaters that attempted to kidnap you, and our investigation shows that your aunt, uncle, and cousin escaped the situation unharmed and unaware of what happened. The Death Eaters appeared to have cleaned up after themselves to throw off our pursuit, but your relatives will find no signs of their arrival to your home this night."

Harry looked like he was caught in between being relieved and angered at the same moment, finally settling on being happy with this information. Even the Dursley's didn't deserve the terrifying deaths that Voldemort's henchmen had been known to sentence Muggles to in the past.

Yugi watched from just over the top of the rather aged sofa between the bits of exposed stuffing and worn fabric, becoming paler with each new member of this unfamiliar organization that filed into the Weasley home, some carrying along bags of unseen objects he did not wish to discover.

"Yes well, with Harry in good health and the situation at his home controlled, I suppose it is time to move on to the subject of the Muggle who witnessed this near-atrocity earlier…" the Minister said, and Yugi sank below the top of the sofa as all eyes fell upon him, feeling the pit in his stomach turn into a veritable oblivion.

"What do I do Yami? I can't possibly stop them from erasing my memories, and I don't want you to hurt anyone in keeping them from doing so…"

_"But Yugi…"_

"There's been enough violence tonight Yami. I'm going to try and run, though I don't know how far I'll get by doing so. Maybe if I can get back into Little Whinging, I'll sneak back into the Dursley's and retrieve my possessions, then take a taxi to the airport and be rid of this nightmare. The Foreign Exchange program can track me down later for all I care, just as long as I don't get tangled up in this business anymore than I already am…" Yugi plotted to himself and his prime ally, stepping lightly onto the carpet and listening as several pairs of footsteps approached from behind.

He tore as fast as he could across the faded rugs, attempting to enter the now emptied kitchen and praying there would be a door leading outside from there that he could utilize, but before he even made it to the welcoming threshold of his possible escape route, he heard a quick, systematic phrase come from behind him.

"Locomotor Mortis," one of the Department employees shouted rapidly, waving their once concealed wand towards him, and Yugi found himself suddenly unable to run any further. His legs suddenly locked up as though bound by invisible chains and he toppled roughly to the ground with a startled yelp.

"Was that really necessary? The poor dear has had a terrible enough night without being attacked by the _Ministry_ hasn't he?" Mrs. Weasley asked fiercely, but she was helpless to do anything as both the employee who had initiated the spell and another came forwards and pulled Yugi back onto his now lifeless legs, pulling him backwards to the towering threshold into the living room where the Minister and everyone else waited.

Yugi instinctively began to struggle against their hold without success; he was far too afraid and weakened to do much of anything at this point. His eyes instead drifted towards Harry, who was looking concerned but also seemed unable to do anything about his situation. This Minister Fudge must have far more power than he had imagined before for them to remain utterly silent during these actions.

"Can someone please tell me what exactly a 'Muggle' is?" Yugi finally asked in a shout, baffled on how it made him any different from them, and Fudge proceeded to clear his throat as though feigning limitless intelligence, approaching with a single step and standing before the confused teenager.

"A Muggle is someone who lacks magical abilities Yugi Moto. Yes, I have been informed of your name and the program through which you were brought here to Britain from your home in Japan, and would like to now apologize for what is about to occur," he said in a swift manner, "My name is Cornelius Fudge. I'm the Minister of Magic, the selected leader over the growing community of those born with magical potentiality."

"Who were those men who attacked me, those 'Death Eaters' as Harry called them?" Yugi asked, taking this time of tense calm to voice his confusion. It seemed they would at least grant him his last request before his determined fate was carried it; he wouldn't remember a word of it later anyways.

"Those Death Eaters are minions of a terrible and dark sorcerer called Lord Vol…" he paused, as though attempting to muster the strength to do something. During this momentary paused, Yugi heard Yami speak quietly to him from within the Puzzle where he was witnessing the unfolding events.

_"They seem utterly afraid to even mutter the name of this sorcerer. While I listened from within the kitchen, their expressions seemed to darken with his mention, and the fear emitting from them rose exponentially…"_

"Lord V-Voldemort," Fudge finally managed to sputter out with some effort, though looking like he had just swallowed a full cup of snake venom from having done so. "They have a long history of hatred against Harry and came after him, and you got involved because of your staying at his relative's dwelling. I am afraid that this constitutes us to take quick, and somewhat drastic measures to ensure our existence doesn't spill out through the Muggle world like a brushfire. The panic that would ensue would only make our situation worse than it already is," Fudge finally concluded, and a thicker silence appeared as Fudge himself draw a wand and seemed poised to use it against Yugi at any moment.

"Please, I won't tell anyone…"

"You have to understand Yugi, that even common talk can grow into suspicions and even fear, and our kind would be in grave danger if this ever occurred. I know it is hard to accept, but we have come to make certain that you are unable to recall anything that happened this night so that chaos may be avoided," Fudge said, lowering his wand slightly in preparation and unaware of the inner argument surfacing within Yugi's sheltered mind.

_"Please Yugi, I have recovered enough of my strength to fend them off, and you can carry out that plan you spoke of earlier…"_

'I told you Yami, I don't want any more conflict. Besides, attempting to escape them would make me seem guilty or threatening, and considering how drastic this first and least sufferable fate is to them, it may only get worse if I resist…"

_"You cannot just sit here and allow them to eliminate the truth! What happens if there is a flaw in the spell that causes far more damage to your mind?"_

"I'll just have to take that chance. I'm tired of this entire situation at this point; forgetting about it may be the only way for things to actually return to normal, and we can go home…"

Yami was silent for a moment, only his distant, heavy breaths heard from the darkness in which he dwelled. _"If this is what you want Yugi, then I will accept it as well, regardless that I am in disagreement…I am going to merge with you now to ensure we both forget…"_

'Thank you Yami…' Yugi thought in defeat as he felt Yami's presence spread throughout his own being, and Fudge inhaled a deep breath as the spell was about to begin. Yugi closed his eyes, not wishing to see the energy rushing towards him to commence the spell.

"Acting a bit irrationally lately aren't we Cornelius?" came a voice suddenly, and all eyes fell upon the threshold of the opened front door. Fudge was thrown off and the spell canceled, at least for the moment, and Yugi felt relief wash over him even with the appearance of this stranger. "There is more to this predicament than you can imagine, and it's thanks to Harry that I was made aware of it."

An elderly man suddenly stepped into the home, and everyone but Fudge looked relieved to see him, and Yugi as well since he had no idea who it was. He appeared very, very old, with a long, white beard and strange, violet robes hanging from his withering form as he looked about them. Harry, however, looked the happiest amongst them to say the least at his appearance.

"Dumbledore!"


	9. Fragments of Truth

"I would appreciate it, Albus, if you would kindly leave matters that fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry _to the Ministry_," Fudge said with a loathing tone that made Yugi's hair stand on end…well, more on end than it already was that is.

"You have been acting very rash lately Cornelius, a characteristic obviously sparked from the tension of knowing that our greatest enemy has indeed been reborn and is scheming once more. Yugi Moto should not have to suffer from your anxiety and fear, and there is something else you have not been informed about yet that is crucial to deciding his fate," Dumbledore said as he entered, and Yugi was surprised to see Fudge actually look rather afraid of him. Yugi wondered in the back of his mind how anyone could possibly be fearful of an elderly man such as the one before him.

_ "Never be misled by appearances Yugi…"_ Yami warned in the echoes of his thoughts. It was true that there was an overwhelming sense of reverence from the others within the room, as though they were beholding the emergence of a god.

"And what information have I overlooked _this_ time Albus? You seem so critical of the Ministry's actions yet always seem to appear at the last moment with this supposedly 'important information,'" Fudge argued back in an irrational tone, though Yugi was relieved to find himself no longer restrained. The department members who had been keeping him still had let go, expressions of subtle loyalty on their faces towards this new guest in the Weasley household.

"This is no time for useless and childish squabbles Cornelius; Harry has informed me that Yugi has potential magical abilities arising from within him. I received his letter just before the message came to Hogwarts of the Death Eater's aggression, and I came as soon as I could," Dumbledore proclaimed, and indeed in his hand there came a letter, written on the same weathered parchment paper that Yugi had seen Harry using but a few nights before. He gasped slightly to himself; he never would have guessed that Harry had figured at least part of this out, even with the strange events that had gone on since his arrival.

"And it turns out my assumptions were right," Harry added in suddenly, looking from Yugi to Dumbledore with an almost excited expression upon his face. "When the Death Eaters attempted to restrain him, a strange energy came out of his necklace and warded them off."

_ "Necklace?!"_ Yami shouted angrily. Thank goodness no one could actually hear him but Yugi, who winced slightly. But that was the least of their worries at the moment.

Yugi instantly felt his blood run cold after Harry's supporting statement. He had never even expected that the Millennium Puzzle would become an issue as it seemed to so frequently back home, but even here across the globe it was causing some sort of chaos in his life. He remained quiet, however, in response to Harry's testimony. He prayed that the subject would die down should it not be spoken of any longer.

"Ah, you see Cornelius? You nearly erased the memories of a budding wizard," Dumbledore responded to his claims with a half-smile coming across his weathered features.

'Damn…'

_"I never thought I'd hear _you_ using profanities Yugi…"_

'This entire situation is a mess; now they've found out about the Millennium Puzzle and may find out about you too. This was the last thing I was expecting to face by coming to Britain…'

_"Try and remain calm."_

'Easy for you to say…'

It was as though Dumbledore could sense the argument Yugi was having within his mind, for he called his attention once more with a lucid expression and a firm hand suddenly planted firmly on his shoulder. It startled Yugi at first after having just been constrained by the Ministry respondents, but upon further analyzing the weathered wizard's eyes he could tell he could trust him. He calmed and listened as the elderly man spoke once more, reaching up and readjusting the suitable spectacles he wore.

"I know this has been a frightening and confusing night for you Yugi, and I can fully understand your apprehension. But I need you to either confirm or protest these claims that Harry has made and be honest," Dumbledore said quietly, now with a more grandfatherly tone than the strict voice that he had used when speaking with Minister Fudge, and Yugi relaxed, silently nodding before he verbally responded. He swiftly thought up something to say; he was still disoriented from all that had already happened.

"I've had this for a long time," he said, holding this Millennium Puzzle in his hands. It was a bit warm with Yami's presence, but the spirit was quiet as he listened as well. "It possesses an ancient magic that even I have little understanding of, but it's inhabited by a spirit who's become my friend and he used his magic earlier to protect me from those Death Eaters."

It took a moment for everyone to absorb what he had just admitted, though Dumbledore was the only one who didn't seem a bit startled by the fact that a seemingly inanimate object possessed an ageless spirit within it. Yugi even noticed some of the Ministry members back away slightly as though they would be smite by it.

"We know of the presence of spirits dwelling on this mortal plain, but this is an interesting development. Is this spirit trapped within the 'Millennium Puzzle' as you called it?" Dumbledore questioned, and Yugi nodded once more weakly.

"He sometimes takes control of my body, but he asks for my permission first and I know I can trust in him when he does so. But he is restricted mostly to the Puzzle and can't wander far from it," Yugi said, and Dumbledore nodded, suddenly reaching down and gently taking the artifact into his own hands, as though inspecting it with the look of intrigue suddenly in his eyes.

But his observations ended abruptly when a suddenly jolt of energy forced his hands away like static shock, but he seemed unsurprised even as the others gasped slightly.

"Yami!" Yugi hissed automatically, though he knew he must sound strange lecturing an large pendant dangling from his neck, but Dumbledore actually laughed slightly as he rubbed the slight burn marks on his hands.

"He's merely worried about you and feared I was attempting to take the Millennium Puzzle from you," Dumbledore said slightly, and Yugi was shocked as he gave the artifact a quick shake in punishment for Yami's aggression. He could hear the spirit's disorientation from the quick movement and then silence followed once more.

"How could you tell…what he was saying?" Yugi asked, suddenly finding himself surrounding as the four present Weasley children suddenly gathered around him, staring at his Puzzle as though waiting for something to happen.

"Go up and poke it. I dare you to," Fred muttered to George.

"No bloody way, that ghost or whatever it is will probably zap my hand off if I do," George responded, giving his twin a quick shove towards it as though it were a dangerous creature.

"I could tell because when I touched it I could detect his presence there and thus hear him. And I see his name is Yami by what you shouted when he lashed out a bit," Dumbledore said, and Yugi nodded, but the discovery stage was over with as suddenly Minister Fudge stepped forward again, appearing tired of being left out of the discussion at hand and fidgeting with his collar with a pretentious and somewhat snobbish manner.

"Well, this is indeed a rather unexpected development. How do you propose we deal with the presence of this force Dumbledore, or has that genius mind of yours already contrived something that can be done?" Cornelius said, his tone like that of a child daring another to do something drastic. Yugi could now sense more than ever the authoritative tension between these figureheads, but couldn't tell who was in power over who.

"It may be only the spirit who wields these sorcerous powers as Yugi claims, but he is still the vessel and the one who faces its consequences and repercussions. Who knows the depths of the dormant powers that may lie within himself as well as a result of having such energies channeled through him? There is no way to judge on what has been witnessed alone, but I highly suggest transporting him to Hogwarts immediately, if only for his safety at the moment. The Death Eaters are more than likely in an uproar for the failed seizure of Harry this evening, and will be most unhappy when they have been dealt their punishment from their master as well. Harry," he said, suddenly turning to the attentive boy, "You shall come as well seeing at you are their primary target. Staying even here with the Weasley's is far too dangerous for yourself and them, and those Death Eaters will be far more prepared if allowed a second chance at capturing you. Now that they too have seen the plausible magical energy within the Millennium Puzzle they will no doubt desire it, and it must be kept safe from them."

"Hog…warts?" Yugi repeated softly, and Dumbledore's faint smile reappeared.

"A school meant only for gifted youths who want to enhance and refine their magical abilities Yugi, and a safe haven for your Millennium Puzzle as well. If you are worrying about any family you may have, do not despair. We shall send word to them and organize what is to happen when everything is straightened out. I know this feels rushed and hasty but with little time at our disposal we must put our vital concerns first," he said, yet again placing a comforting hand onto the teenager's shoulder, and Yugi nodded involuntarily this time, still confused.

'A school for wizards? I would have never guessed…' he thought, suddenly tuning out as Cornelius seemed to once again protest Dumbledore's initial decision.

_"When that man, Dumbledore, made contact with the Puzzle I was able to look into his mind for a mere second to search his motives. He is your friend Yugi; I sensed no hidden darkness nor anything suspicious within his thoughts. He does merely want to help both you and I,"_ Yami informed him, and Yugi couldn't help but silently smirk.

'You're always suspicious of everyone aren't you? If these enemies are always dressed in black cloaks and wielding tree branches as weapons they shouldn't be too hard to spot…'

_"This isn't any laughing matter, you may not be aware of their presence next time. They almost killed you Yugi, whether you are willing to face this reality or not, and when they reappear you must be prepared…"_

'I guess that's what Hogwarts will teach me to do…'

"I will take care of any paperwork or arrangements with the Ministry Cornelius, you needn't worry about your position," Dumbledore said with an expression bordering on weariness. "But before we head to Hogwarts with both our famed and newest students, we must stop by Diagon Alley and swiftly get his supplies for the coming school year."

Yugi suddenly found himself being guided towards the door amidst the various goodbyes and mutterings of the Weasley's, and the Ministry members flocked back to Cornelius as though seeking refuge in his shadow from his rage of being bested yet again.

Yugi looked outside to see a figure standing just beyond the threshold awaiting them, but couldn't see their expression without looking straight up.

He was monstrously tall, and though neither Harry nor Dumbledore were worried he couldn't help but be at his own diminutive size. The unnamed visitor could have overshadowed an entire army of himself, but looked down upon them with a chummy and friendly expression as they approached.

"I heard the whole thing out 'ere Dumbledore. Still can't figure out how that old loon won the elections. Shouldda entered yer name in fer it, you'd make a fine Minister an' take down You-Know-Who before the blink of an eye," the seemingly brutish man said, suddenly eyeing Yugi as he trembled slightly below the towering figure. "Is this the new student you were talkin' bout? Don't look half the age you said he was." Yugi made a face at this comment but it was lost in the darkness of the shadow cast over him.

"We'll make introductions quick. Yugi, this is Hagrid. He's one of the professors at Hogwarts. Hagrid, this is Yugi Moto, a foreign exchange student that was staying with Harry's aunt and uncle up until the Death Eater incident earlier. I'll explain why later, but he will be accompanying us to Hogwarts and soon be attending through some last minute arrangements. But first we must make a trip to Diagon Alley and get his supplies for his first year of schooling," Dumbledore said, ushering them to their apparent transport, which Yugi was almost disappointed to see was a simple town car parked at the end of the dirt driveway.

"Pleasure ter meet you Yu-gee," Hagrid said, overemphasizing his name and wrapping his own, enormous hand around Yugi's. He smiled regardless of the fact that the circulation had been cut off to it as Hagrid shook it in traditional greeting.

They piled into the vehicle and it took off into the night with its passengers, and Yugi once again found himself looking out through the tinted black windows surrounding him and out onto the barren fields between here and the denser town, just as he had when accompanying Vernon to various places.

'One thing never changes throughout this whole venture though; the beautiful countryside we've driven across, and more recently, _flown over…_'

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From the outside, the Riddle House seemed untouched and forgotten amongst the tireless vines of withered ivy scaling its walls, passerby never noticing the flickering candlelight that kept the seemingly abandoned manor lit and livable. Hushed whispers and the patter of footsteps across cellar floors couldn't be heard down by the solemn road that passed it, less traveled ever since the fateful event that had taken place within it.

"He's going to be so displeased that we failed. Who was that boy who managed to stop us?" came a whisper in the shadows, suddenly accompanied by the simmering wick of a distorted candle.

"Our master need not find out of our first failure Augustus, should we compensate for our previous mistakes and intercept them at Diagon Alley," Lucius Malfoy said, removing the darkening hood over his head and scowling at his current underlings. "We have allied ourselves to Lord Voldemort, and we all know his policy on failure amongst his followers, and now Harry and that other boy are in Dumbledore's possession. Harry shall be a bit of a challenge capturing with his knowledge of our existence, but it will be easy to lure him away with a bit of persuasion. After all, the wizarding world can be a tempting place to those who have only just discovered its presence. It shall only take a few wandering steps before he is in our grasp."

"But what about Harry? He knows we're out to get him, and he won't be lulled by distractions," Dolohov offered, but a sinister grin wove itself across Malfoy's face that was enough to cause the small flames to flicker and the other Death Eaters to back away with subtle fear.

"It will be like killing two birds with one stone in the end. We lure away little Yugi Moto, and Harry Potter will be sure to follow…"


	10. School Shopping

"The…Leaky Cauldron?" Yugi asked as he followed their rather odd gathering into the darkly lit bar, smelling instantly the scent of distilled beverages and those who had been drinking them there for lonely nights on end. He made sure to stay as close to Harry as he could; he was perhaps the only person he felt he could trust at this point. He had only just met Hagrid and Dumbledore after all, and this situation was becoming more and more unbelievable with each passing moment.

"It's our passage into Diagon Alley, just going through the back and the brick wall one would think led into a vacant lot," Harry said with a comfortable smile, as though this were all so familiar that he could have cared less that they were getting stares from the seedy company they shared in the pub. They finally reached the brick wall out behind the building, the predawn light beginning to grow quite vibrant as they crossed the barren grounds.

"Watch _this_ here magic Yu-_gee_," Hagrid said with a small grin, taking out his obviously damaged wand and bringing the seemingly ordinary beam of wood to the wall, tapping specific places and then withdrawing swiftly.

Yugi watched in fascination as the bricks themselves folded upon one another, slowly vanishing momentarily so they could find passage into the new world that Yugi couldn't see over Hagrid and Dumbledore. They moved across where the barrier had been quickly, and Yugi listened as the wall reappeared and continued to keep prying Muggle eyes from this unseen place.

He had never seen so many strange but interesting shops all in a row, ranging from windows displaying hovering broomsticks to people exiting stores with their arms full of thick, ancient-looking texts covered in layers of dust. And everyone also wore robes similar to the ones Dumbledore had appeared in, long and old-fashioned garments of varying colors and lengths, but all unique in Yugi's eyes. He felt so out-of-place in his entirely blue pajamas that he had traveled throughout the entire night in, and was half-covered in grime from their escape still.

"So this is Diagon Alley? It's…amazing," Yugi admired, hardly able to absorb everything they witnessed as they walked. He did take notice, however, that his companions barely acknowledged any of the wondrous objects and people that passed them; it seem they truly had been born or integrated into this world completely.

"Yup, this is where we're going to get you your school supplies for the coming term at Hogwarts," Harry said simply. Yugi hoped they would guide him in the right directions for said supplies considering he didn't have the faintest clue where to start.

_"Hmmm, their devices are similar to what the Weasley's owned in their home. It seems this network of wizards and witches has been hidden very well and been in existence for quite some time,"_ Yami observed through Yugi's eyes with a level tone. _"But I am still worried; those 'Death Eaters' that attempted to harm you may be lurking somewhere here, and we may be unable to tell them apart from bystanders…"_

'You need to stop being so concerned Yami; I may not have the countless years of wisdom that you do but I do have common sense. If I've learned anything from what happened back home, it's that evil stands out amongst the innocent, and is usually so vain it doesn't hide itself well,' Yugi thought to himself in reply.

_"I trust you Yugi, it isn't that I'm questioning your judgment. It's making sure you're safe that I'm concerned with. I can use my magic against them, but if that horrible force returns once more…I won't be able to help you, and you could suffer because of this," _Yami said, andYugi smiled faintly in gratitude for the spirit's worry of him.

'I know it's only because you care Yami, but I need to learn to take care of myself..'

"All right, here's our first stop, Madam Milkin's to get yer robes for the school year," Hagrid suddenly said, and Yugi found them standing before an enormous emporium of odd-appearing robes and garments, other people streaming in and out of the store as they entered.

"Uh…Mr. Dumbledore?" Yugi asked, looking to the ancient wizard as he turned to face to him. "I don't have any money with me to pay for anything."

"You needn't worry about expenses Yugi, there was some external revenue from Hogwarts which I've decided to delve into to handle this occasion," Dumbledore said with a grin, and this relieved a bit of Yugi's apprehension as they entered the crowded shop.

It seemed many of the other first years students were making purchases such as this, and there was little floor space for them to journey across as they attempted to find some suitable robes for Yugi.

As he was being fitted, he noticed Harry looked nervously about something. The boy would look over to the doors every time they opened or slammed shut, propelled by the winds increasing outdoors. The sky was becoming tremulous with preparing storm clouds, not helping with his once subtle alertness.

'Harry said he was used to this; if he's worried then I should probably be terrified,' Yugi thought to himself as he looked into the mirror before him, observing the long, slightly-too-big robes he had been roughly placed in by the working employee, a jittery young woman who seemed to find him adorable.

"Look at that wild hair of yours, it's going to be a little difficult getting some of these cloaks onto you," she said, wrenching several different black robes over his head. He thought he looked like some sort of phantom in the uniforms, but considering they were required he didn't speak at all and instead grimaced at the effect it was having on his hair. By the end, the once spiky ends of his hair were wilting from the experience.

They purchased the robes and moved on to a shabby little shop that Yugi didn't happen to catch the name of before they had already entered it, but immediately they were doused with faint darkness. Yugi looked all around; the walls were unseen behind the stacks of miscellaneous boxes, all slender and poised to have their contents revealed. Yugi restrained the urge to cough as dust was kicked up and listened as a bell rang when they entered.

"I'll be with you in a just a moment!" came a voice from way in the back of the shop, and their group waiting silently and patiently for the owner of the store. Yugi still had little idea what they had gone there to get.

"Oh, Harry! Haven't seen you since you came here to get your wand before your first year!" came a man's voice from ahead, and Yugi peered around Hagrid to see an aging man come bounding from the bowels of his shop, smeared with grime and adjusting his misaligned spectacles as he approached. "I hope you haven't been experiencing problems with your wand…"

"No, it's working like a charm Mr. Ollivander. We're actually here to get my friend's wand for his first year at Hogwarts," Harry said, and Yugi took this as his cue to present himself and stepped out from behind the veritable giant.

"Ah, well let's see. I'm afraid I don't have the selection I did a week ago, but new students have been filing through Diagon Alley all week and have swamped my supply. Let's see if we can find something suitable for young…" Mr. Ollivander paused, allowing Yugi the appropriate time to introduce himself.

"My name's Yugi Moto sir, it's nice to meet you," Yugi said pleasantly as he outstretched his hand, and the elderly gentleman shook it briefly before he gallanted off to search for a befitting wand.

"Ah, here's one. 10½ inches long, carved of boxwood with the collected hairs of a dryad within it. Slick and sure to make sure your spells are swiftly dealt," Mr. Ollivander offered, holding out a wand for Yugi to sample.

Yugi took the wand into his hand, and somehow knew it wasn't the one. However, before he could hand it back an energy suddenly shot from the end of it, making a beeline through the windowpane and finally coming to a siring end upon a poor soul entering the shop across the road. Yugi bit his lower lip and shook his head wordlessly as Mr. Ollivander took the wand back and sighed.

"Perhaps not," he said simply, and Yugi realized the others seemed unsurprised of the wand's reaction. It seemed if you weren't the one to wield it, it was able to tell you.

"Yugi's magical abilities are emerging a bit more rapidly than others, perhaps a wand of greater strength is needed. Do you have something Ollivander? I would like Yugi to have the best before he journeys to Hogwarts," Dumbledore said, and after pondering for a moment, Mr. Ollivander scuttled off to the back of his shop with a finger pointed towards the ceiling in discovery. It seemed he had thought of something.

"Uh Dumbledore? What happens if the more powerful wand decides it doesn't like me and, well, does something like that again only tenfold?" Yugi asked fearfully, but Dumbledore merely smiled encouragingly and awaited the return of Mr. Ollivander.

He emerged once more carrying another wand-box, this time carefully removing the wand and holding it as though presenting a newborn to the world. "This is the finest one I have, 11½ inches long, carved of Ebony wood, hollowed and its centered powered by the hairs and a divided feather of a Sphinx. I don't know if a first-year can wield it properly; the materials for it were donated by a tamer of mystical beasts working for the Ministry. He said only advanced wizards would put it to its full potential," Mr. Ollivander said, but he knew better than to fully question the Headmaster's judgment and handed over the volatile weapon to Yugi, who took it slowly with a trembling hand.

At first there was nothing, and he feared the excess energy would emerge from the wand and possibly harm someone once more, this time more seriously. But there was instead motionless silence where they waited for something to happen, and a moment after he had first grasped it, something indeed did.

It was similar to when the magic of the Millennium Puzzle filled him, and a strangely natural aura suddenly seeped from the wand and wove itself around him, almost as though it were merging with his being. Mr. Ollivander looked utterly shocked while Dumbledore continued grinning with intrigue, having guessed correctly.

"It seems Yugi's brand of magic has indeed given the wand a suitable owner. Now about the price of the wand Mr. Ollivander…" Dumbledore began speaking with the owner while Yugi kept watching it glimmer with amazement.

"And that was just a simple test. Just wait until you put that wand into action," Harry said to him, and Yugi could feel the excitement of it welling up from within him. He had been so tense and worried about this entire situation for the past few hours, but now it was becoming astonishing.

"Tha weather's beginnin' ta look a bit off. I think we should move on b'fore it gets too gloomy ta trudge through," Hagrid said, noticing the first raindrops splattering against the shop windows as Dumbledore handed Mr. Ollivander a small pouch of coins and said his goodbye.

"We probably should have checked the weather before going out today. Anything we get for Yugi is going to end up soaked by the time we get back to the Leaky Cauldron," Harry remarked as they forced their way through the thinning crowd and uncaring rainfall. The clouds overhead were beginning to thicken and reorganize, and the once distant rumblings of thunder were becoming more violent and foreboding.

"We should be done with just a few more stops and then we'll return. I'd prefer we get these errands done now so we can get you and Yugi to somewhere safer. Until then, I want the two of you to stay close to Hagrid and I. No wondering off, as tempting as it may be," Dumbledore said, turning in Yugi's direction with the final part of his warning.

Yugi indeed found it hard to resist simply slipping away and exploring wherever his feet carried him. There were so many destinations to chose from that at times he found himself involuntarily walking a bit away from their group, but he was quickly pulled back in either by Hagrid or Harry, who seemed to find his curiosity amusing.

"Do you think we could come back here sometime and look at these shops again? I wish we had more time to look around and browse," Yugi asked quietly to Dumbledore, who reached up to adjust his spectacles once more before answering.

"I'm afraid we'll only have time for one visit this day, but perhaps another time we'll make a trip out of it since these are pressing times," Dumbledore said with an almost lofty tone, and Yugi continued to survey his surroundings in a carefree manner.

'Isn't this place incredible Yami? I mean, it isn't everyday you see broomsticks you can fly on and robes that'll put themselves on you," Yugi thought to his subconscious companion, who had been silent since their earlier conversation.

_'Yes, it is truly fascinating, but you still must be careful Yugi. I'm worried that all these trappings and discoveries are going to divert your attention from the dangers that potentially hide all around you…'_

'Are you ever going to stop worrying Yami? I mean Dumbledore and Hagrid seem to be enough to handle anything that may try and harm us, and they've already sworn that they'll keep both Harry and me safe until we've reached whatever stronghold they've chosen. Why is it you never seem relaxed or at ease?'

_'Listen Yugi, up until now you've had someone to watch out for you, but you're letting your mind wander and that worries me. I know you to be one who walks into trouble unsuspectingly, and whether you're willing to admit it to yourself or not, you're very naïve at times. Ignorance of darker forces doesn't eliminate their presence, and you seem to be getting lulled into a false sense of security…'_

'I wish you'd stop acting like I'm only a kid Yami. I can watch out for myself whether _you're_ willing to admit it or not. Just because of what happened earlier doesn't mean it's going to repeat itself right away. I mean the Minister of Magic seemed intimidated by Dumbledore's magical abilities earlier. Surely those Death Eaters wouldn't be foolish enough to try something with him around.'

_'Unfortunately Yugi, he seems to no longer be in sight…'_

Yugi suddenly pulled himself from the tremulous atmosphere of his thoughts and found himself staring off into the streaming crowd, but not one of his allies was in sight. He had decreased his pace it seemed to the point where he had drifted far behind them and they had simple gone on without him, unbeknownst to them that he was no longer following.

Instantly he felt his heartbeat slow and pound in his ears as the fear welled up from within him. Suddenly his entire argument for being unafraid was gone, and Yami was right; anyone around him could be an enemy and he was all but defenseless. Yami's magic could only go so far, especially with that massive force that had somehow sent him into a temporary coma within Yugi's own mind. If that happened again and the Death Eaters appeared…he didn't want to think of the outcome. Instead, he began to progress as though he knew where he was going.

He was brutally hit and nearly toppled several times due to the uncaring passerby, who seemed utterly unaware of his presence until they were tripping over him. Yugi flinched and gasped nearly every time he happened to glimpse a black cloak, but many times he was hung across the shoulders of a Hogwarts student or some harmless-appearing shopper who paid him no mind. Besides being tossed about he remained untouched and safe, and there was no sign of aggression from anyone yet.

'Can't you use your powers and sense where Dumbledore is right now?'

_'I haven't fully recovered Yugi, and my powers are still limited. Besides, Dumbledore's magical energy is so great that it would have dispersed and been left in so many places that it would be hard to locate where he is.' _Yugi resisted the urge to curse and continued through the crowd, catching strange and wonderful smells in the air and still feeling tempted to wander off.

But within another moment or so it appeared something was dreadfully wrong. As he kept traveling down the winding street he began to feel inexplicably weary and battered, as though he had just experienced something trying. His entire body began to ache and throb as though he were being attacked. Eventually, he couldn't walk any longer and came to rest crouching at the entrance of an alleyway between two shops, breathing hard and feeling as though he were being cut to pieces.

'Yami…something's terribly wrong…what's happening to me…' Yugi thought desperately, falling to his hands and knees and feeling the cold, piercing sensation of sweat slipping from his forehead down his paling face.

_'Yugi…you have to get away from there! The darkness…'_

But before Yami could continued, Yugi looked to his right into the shadows of the alleyway and realized he was no longer alone. Several dark, hooded figures stood, a handful of them murmuring something foreign and muffled as he struggled to get back onto his feet. Their chanting was growing fainter as did the pain, and he finally found the origin of his suffering.

'I should have listened to Yami…'

"Well Yugi Moto, it doesn't appear as though Dumbledore or Harry Potter can help you now…" Lucius Malfoy said, suddenly reaching forward swiftly and forcing Yugi into the darkness amongst the Death Eaters.


	11. You Don't Know Who

The agony that their spell had inflicted upon him still hadn't cleared, and with the sudden fear and terror rushing through his quivering being he felt as though he could die at any moment. His heart pounded so loudly in his ears that he could just barely make out what they were saying.

"How easily the young mind is tricked and the body weakened," Lucius mocked as two of the other Death Eaters kept Yugi's lithe form pressed against the cold stone building, his head hanging as he was beginning to succumb to the paralyzing and numbing effects of the spell. His vision was becoming worse, until he could only make out deluded colors and messy forms before him in the darkness. Desperate cries for help managed to catch in his throat, suffocating him and never escaping to alert Dumbledore and the others as to what had happened. He was alone and had to get himself out of this, or he just might pay the ultimate price as Yami had warned he could from ignorance.

"W-why…" was all that could manage to come from Yugi's mouth, noticing that they weren't attempting to force him anywhere or carrying out any of the horrific fates he was envisioning. Lucius first uttered something to the two remaining Death Eaters who weren't restraining Yugi, who rushed off towards the end of the alley after his command, before he looked down upon the helpless teenager and explained.

"That little demonstration you provided for us at the Dursley home has sparked an interest in that artifact you're wearing. Our master will be pleased should we bring him an object with such potential," Lucius said, and Yugi's eyes dilated out with fear as he felt the Millennium Puzzle glimmer slightly, as though Yami were attempting to save him but couldn't. It seemed that dark force that had managed to harm the spirit earlier had returned and was barring any of his attempts at saving Yugi.

"It won't do you any good, the Millennium Puzzle only works for me and definitely not for servants of evil like you," Yugi said, feeling a stream of fresh blood slither down his face as he spoke; his throat was so dry and hoarse with illness that the flesh was beginning to crack. Lucius appeared to be enjoying his agony as he looked down upon him, producing his wand from his robes and holding it out menacingly.

"You know at this point we could so easily take your life with the right spell, or perhaps even drive you insane to the point where you would take your own life, but with what you've just said I believe I shall keep you alive a bit longer, if only to prove you are lying," Lucius said, and Yugi felt his body stiffen with absolute horror at what the Death Eater had just said. They couldn't possibly carry out any of what he had threatened…could they? What was the good of performing so many good spells when there were ones that could take lives and ruin decent minds? All these unanswered questions served to add to the growing confusion Yugi was undergoing.

And it was only going to get worse.

"Who is this 'Master' you keep talking about?" Yugi finally asked, his voice beginning to fail him and wavering as his consciousness did. This question seemed to take the Death Eaters by surprise, as though he should have known.

"Our master is Lord Voldemort, the most powerful sorcerer to have ever lived, and it is to him we shall be taking you and your 'Millennium Item' as you called it," Lucius said, continuing as Yugi was beginning to recover a bit from his pains, and he could sense Yami was partially responsible. He may not have been able to send out defenses for Yugi, but he was healing him from the inside out it seemed as the pain became numbness. "Many people greatly fear our master, but since you've lived the life of a Muggle you wouldn't know all this I suppose. Many just call him 'You-Know-Who' or 'He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named,' but I believe those are all putrid regards to his greatness. They fear him so much they dare not even utter his name as though it is a curse."

"And what has your master done to earn himself such a title?" Yugi asked, though he knew he probably didn't want to know. With the cunning smile that suddenly appeared on Lucius's face, his suspicions had been assured.

"I see that wretched fool Dumbledore truly hasn't told you of all the dangers of the wizarding world, even though he and our master are the greatest of rivals. Lord Voldemort has taken the countless lives of the weak who didn't deserve to live, or who were too foolish to understand his great prospects of the world. Many wizards and witches would so much rather live in fear of Muggles, hiding amongst them than put them in their place as an inferior division of humanity, whereas my master wanted to put an end to this."

"So you take command from a man who would enslave or murder all those who weren't born with the ability to do magic?"

"A rather brutish way of putting it, but yes, the Muggles have overrun this world for too long and Lord Voldemort shall put an end to that."

Yugi suddenly clenched his hands into fist and gritted his teeth. "The Millennium Puzzle won't work for you, it only works for me, and I'll never do anything this Lord Voldemort asks or forces me to, no matter what I have to suffer. I've seen darkness and evil before, and I know that simply succumbing to it is never the answer."

"Braves words from a mere child, but I promise you that Lord Voldemort always finds a way to make people serve him and reveal what he wishes. The number and power of spells increases each day, and there are a handful of spells that would, well, let's just say your mind would be made useless," Lucius said, and Yugi realized how similar this was to when he had struggled through the events of the Battle City tournament. He didn't know precisely what Lucius was talking about, but it sounded an awful lot like being turned into a mind slave…


	12. Lord Voldemort

(**Please Note:** This story takes place after the fourth book, so it's going to be AU from the series past that point. I haven't even gotten the chance to read the sixth book yet due to being so busy, so please keep this in mind when you read this.)

Lord Voldemort hovered in the cold darkness as he listened to the footsteps of his Death Eaters approaching and bringing their young prisoner; his bony fingers wrapped around the top of the scepter that helped him keep his balance in his new body. He still was weak from his recent resurrection, and his body appeared alien with its deathly pale skin, and his wrinkled face all but completely hidden by a hood that hung over his features. His thin mouth curved into a faint smirk as the door to the room finally crept open and the Death Eaters arrived, and Yugi was dropped unceremoniously onto the floor. He didn't move or make a sound as he lied there at first, almost as though he'd been turned to stone or was completely unconscious. His eyes flickered open slightly however and proved otherwise.

He was barely conscious now, after having been literally dragged through every shadow in Diagon Alley all the way to this dark, abandoned building that was perched quietly at the end of the bustling thoroughfare. He could even still faintly here the sounds of the other wizards and witches streaming down the road outside, completely unaware of the danger he was in, and perhaps them all as well.

"Well, if it isn't young Yugi come to pay a visit…" Voldemort's voice was dry and crackled roughly, but to the boy he sounded far away. "You're looking a little worse for wear…I see my Death Eaters gave you the absolute best treatment they were capable of…" His minions laughed softly and darkly amongst themselves.

Yugi felt as though he'd been stripped of all feeling; just before they had arrived, his body all but shut down. Yami's presence was still within him, but he could no longer her his friend's voice anymore from within him. He had been frightened for a moment that the spirit had left him, perhaps to escape whatever fate was awaiting them, but then he realized that Yami was remaining silent in case this new enemy could hear him. This sorcerer's magical aura was so strong that it was like a crushing force against him, slowly pressing him against the floorboards unseen. He coughed slightly and listened as Lord Voldemort continued speaking to him.

The cloaked figure circled around him like a predator watching its prey slowly die, waiting for the moment it stopped moving to tear into him. Yugi's fear was welling up within him, but there was no way to voice this, or show it in any way. "Your arrival did not go unnoticed by me…perhaps Dumbledore thought I was too weak even in this new body to be able to sense the strange powers of your puzzle, but unfortunately he was wrong…" Two piercing, serpentine-like eyes gazed out of the darkness. "It is an interesting accessory…where did you happen to find it?"

Yugi struggled and strained to form words, even while in his paralyzed state. "I…p-put…it…together…" his voice was little more than a whisper, but the Death Eaters silenced as he spoke to listen. Voldemort's smirk was illuminated slightly as he stepped closer to him.

"I see…it must have taken a lot of patience to find a way and erect that kind of power…" he said, his voice like the hiss of a snake. It made Yugi cringe to listen. "But now, I'm afraid I'm going to have to take it from you…you see even while this new world may seem calm and carefree to you, Yugi Moto…there is a war going on within it. Outside of naïve and innocent eyes such as your own…" Voldemort halted and crouched down beside him, still grinning evilly towards him. "And I plan on winning that war, against Dumbledore and his foolish beliefs…and your puzzle is going to help me do just that…"

Yugi froze, his weary, half-conscious gaze staring straight up into the face of evil itself. He knew he needed to protect the Puzzle, to make sure that Yami and his powers didn't fall into tainted hands…but he found no matter how hard he tried he couldn't move in the slightest. He could only watch in horror as Voldemort extended one of his pale hands to grab the Puzzle and wrap his fingers around it, intent on prying it from his neck…

Suddenly, the Puzzle slowly began to glow, and Voldemort looked down at it in confusion. Without warning, the energy that had slowly been building in it suddenly surged forth, channeling up the dark sorcerer's arm like electricity. Suddenly Voldemort was thrown back, never tumbling over but kept from doing what he intended, and he growled angrily as his already sickly flesh crackled from the burns left on him. Yugi looked down and saw the Puzzle's light beginning to fade, and suddenly the door into the small, musty room burst open without warning.

"Incendio!" Suddenly the walls of the room were ablaze with a strange, controlled fire that surrounded them, almost like a sort of cage. There in the doorway stood Dumbledore, who had called out the spell. The Death Eaters were completely unprepared to resist him and moved away. Yugi looked up to see only a faint form of Voldemort still present within the room. "Even with your ill-gotten body, you're still too weak to maintain your form within the light, aren't you…?" he said quietly, and after having said that he swiftly carried out yet another spell.

"Accio Yugi!" Yugi suddenly felt himself being pulled up from the floor and sailing through the air, the Death Eaters begin thrown out of his way by an unseen force, and suddenly he was caught by Dumbledore, who swiftly shut the door and turned.

Harry was standing behind him, only partially seen in the darkness of the abandoned house. As quickly as he had appeared Dumbledore began to flee the burning house. "Voldemort's dark magic is becoming harder to detect, even though I have battled it for years…" the old wizard's words cut through the shadows and into the outside. "But I could feel his influence when that spell was cast upon you, I'm only glad it made it in time…"

"It's because of his Puzzle, isn't it…" Harry said as they made it out into the daylight; looking up at the house, it didn't appear as anything had happened up there. There was no sign of the smoke from the fire Dumbledore had set around Voldemort and his followers. The elderly wizard nodded with a saddened sigh. "I'm afraid so…the ancient abilities of it had sparked Voldemort's interest in obtaining it…" he paused for a moment as he set Yugi onto the ground.

He was feeling better now that he was away from his captors; the spell they had cast on him to temporarily disable him were wearing off, though he still had to use Harry's shoulder for support for a moment. The Puzzle still felt warm from Yami's resistance against Voldemort, burning against his jacket.

"We have to be very careful now…if there's anything that Voldemort and his followers love pursuing, it's something forbidden and dangerous…and now that they know it's in the possession of Hogwarts and this side of the war, they'll be even more vehement to have it used for their own cause…"

Yugi wearily looked up at the house. "But…but wouldn't that fire have…have…"

"No, that spell was merely a distraction…there were many spells that could counter it and save them. But I needed to act swiftly to get you out of there…" Dumbledore said, looking down at the teenager. "We need to get you both to Hogwarts as soon as we can…I'm going to have a train bring you there this evening…"

"The term doesn't start for another week…" Harry began, but Dumbledore interrupted him.

"I don't think it needs explaining that both you and Yugi are in extreme danger here, even if Voldemort is still weak within his new form…and Hogwarts is the safest place you can both be now." He guided them back towards the Leaky Cauldron to gather their things before they would head to the train station and prepare for the journey to Hogwarts. Yugi felt relieved to have been saved before Voldemort had the chance for any more attempts to take the Millennium Puzzle from him, but now that he knew what they were up against, a new fear was welling up within him.

He turned and glimpsed the building once more before it ducked out of sight behind the other buildings of Diagon Alley; upon the side of it, looking as though it had been burned there, was a skull with a serpent weaving its way from the mouth…


	13. Preparations

The room was dank and ill-kept, with some of the faded rose-print wallpaper beginning to peel and wilt from the walls around them, but it would at the very least provide them shelter until the train left for Hogwarts tomorrow with but two guests on board; it had taken Dumbledore a few hours to convince the railroad company that owned the locomotives that ventured to and from the well-hidden institution. Taking any other mode of transportation would be too hazardous he explained to them later on, sitting on the edge of one of the raggedy beds and handing them each a small bag of treats he'd bought to help their nerves. Yugi ended up trading off all the pieces of candy he couldn't bring himself to trust to Harry, who gladly gave up some of his more normal looking confections.

"The fact is that now that Voldemort has failed once to retrieve your Millennium Puzzle, he'll be all the more persistent to obtain it…and use far worse means to do so…" Dumbledore said, his tone utterly serious as he enjoyed one of the treats he'd reserved for himself. Yugi sometimes found it hard to take this weathered man seriously, since even in the direst times he seemed to have not a care in the world. But then, it could just be to make sure everyone kept their wits about them.

Yugi nodded. "I understood Headmaster Dumbledore…" Dumbledore allowed a small smile to creep onto his face. "Just make sure you both get a good night's rest tonight, and don't leave this room for anything, understand? It's already clear that wandering around Diagon Alley has become too dangerous for you to do…"

They both nodded, and with that Dumbledore stood and bid them a good night. Harry and Yugi knew that there were some Aurors that would be keeping watch over them throughout the night, making rounds through the hallways of the hotel while the others stayed down in the bar and talked loudly.

"It'll be just our luck, just you watch…they'll get so drunk they won't be able to tell a Death Eater from a potted plant…" Harry mumbled, and Yugi laughed somewhat nervously.

"I just can't believe that you've managed to survive so many confrontations with that sorcerer…" Yugi said after a moment of discomforting silence, with only the crowd below to listen to. "I mean, I barely made it through this time…you've confronted him on several occasions and the only real mark I've seen is…that scar…"

Harry smiled faintly, but it was a bit of a dead one, as though he'd heard this so many times it was beyond old news. "I know, sometimes it surprises me too how many times I've escaped dying…but Dumbledore is right, now that we know what Voldemort is after, we have to be especially careful…"

"I have the feeling…that when he said Voldemort would resort to more cruel means to obtain the Puzzle, it was from a first-hand account of seeing him do so…" Yugi now sounded very nervous, not that Harry blamed him in the slightest. Regardless of the different challenges he'd faced in the past, seeing his parents' murderer never got any easier whenever the monster resurfaced from within the darkness.

"I'll be honest with you Harry…there have been…numerous occasions where Voldemort did not hesitate to move beyond mere physical and mental torture Yugi…" it almost felt like the building had suddenly been shrouded in a deep darkness than before, and the sounds below were beginning to drown in the overwhelming fear that Yugi felt creeping up his spine. "There are times where…where I'm grateful that my parents didn't have to suffer the way some of Voldemort's other victims did…it was instantaneous…Dumbledore…said they didn't feel any pain because of the spell cast against them…"

Yugi's eyes widened greatly, but his vision only seemed to worsen as this realization was made to him. "Your…your parents…"

"Yes, they were murdered by Voldemort when I was a baby…" Harry said, his voice somewhat monotonous, as though his sadness of this tragedy had been expended already. "Of course, since I was so young when it happened I don't really remember it…just a strange flash of light and the sensation of warmth…I like to think that's the last memory I have of my mother, lying me into my crib…just before…" he broke off, and Yugi didn't want him to continue with this. He could see Harry had already been chewed out when it came to retelling this story continuously. "And then…someone from the school died last year, near the end…a student named Cedric…all year I'd despised him a bit, because…well…we'll say he took something I rather wanted…and then he ended up dying because of me…" he sounded a bit guilt-ridden when he admitted this.

"It's not your fault Harry, what those men did was inhuman…and heartless…" he said quietly. "Even with the skills you have, standing up against Voldemort and his Death Eaters would be impossible for near everyone that practices magic…"

"That's the reason everyone flocks to Dumbledore when trouble breaks out involving Voldemort…Dumbledore is the one person he fears, because he's so skilled in magic and always seems to know what's going to happen next."

"But Dumbledore looks like he's getting on in years, just how long do you think he can continue being this pillar of strength for the magical community?"

Harry looked stern as he replied. "Dumbledore is getting older, yes…but even since I started going to Hogwarts he's always been there to help me and my friends out of horrible situations that have arisen, and I firmly believe that what he does is for the good of everyone. He knows the evils that Voldemort is capable of…he'll know what to do once we're at Hogwarts to make sure we're kept out of harm's way, and what if we stumble into it. I'm sure though…that soon enough Voldemort is going to be contemplating what you are right now, if he's not already…Voldemort is more demon than human to some, including myself…every time it seems we've destroyed what remained of him, but he simply comes back again."

"Yeah, I know how that is, even if you don't believe it…" Yugi contemplated his own demons, and the evil spirits he'd encountered that had surfaced from other Millennium Pieces. "There are some evils in the world that are too strong to destroy with means we've used to overcome what's happened in the past…" his gaze drifted quietly to the scar on Harry's forehead for a silent moment before he realized he was staring, and he looked away. "That is why I'm worried…I know that Dumbledore is wise, and stronger than he appears, but he won't be around forever…and given how powerful Voldemort may become, if what you've told me is all true…then what will happen if Dumbledore dies before Voldemort can be stopped?"

Harry just sat there quietly for a moment, his gaze lowering slightly as Yugi's words filled his mind and began to trouble him. It was hard to imagine himself in a situation where he couldn't rely on Dumbledore to arrive and work everything out. It wasn't that Harry didn't trust his friends and other allies, but Dumbledore to him was like the steadfast guardian he'd been denied throughout his childhood. To even think of losing him to age or other circumstances, and not have that feeling of security anymore, was a frightening prospect and not something he wanted to contemplate right now. The sound of passing rain tapping against the window nearby didn't help ease the tension in the room either, but Harry pretended it didn't bother him and shrugged it off. After all, this was all entirely new to Yugi, and revealing his own nervousness wasn't going to aid in their situation anyways.

"Let's try and get some sleep, the train usually arrives relatively early in the morning and the sooner we get out of here, the better…" Harry said quietly, lying down on his back and removing his wiry glasses. He set them on the nightstand beside him and closed his eyes, timing his breaths subconsciously to make it seem like he'd drifted off to sleep.

Yugi watched him for a moment; even though Harry hadn't said anything, he could sense the subtle change in his demeanor. Yugi laid down shortly after he did, his eyes looking up into the dusty rafters of the ceiling with contemplation. If Harry was afraid of what was to come even after all he had faced, then Yugi could only imagine of what else Voldemort was capable of. He knew to the very depths of his soul that what he'd experienced today was only a taste of the horrors that the sorcerer could have unleashed, and that now that Voldemort's wrath was ignited their next encounter could potentially be countless times worse. Yugi closed his eyes quietly and allowed his thoughts to speak for him as he spoke with Yami, allowing the spirit within him to speak his mind now that his conversation with Harry had ended.

'Yami…' he said, his inner voice coming out as a whisper that embodied his outer nervousness. In the darkness of his mind Yami appeared as a translucent spirit that surfaced from amidst the void. 'I…I'm beginning to feel really afraid Yami. I mean, I know we've faced great evils before, and gotten through it together…I guess maybe I feel more vulnerable because I don't have my friends here to encourage me…'

Yami nodded, his arms crossed loosely as his ghostly form wavered back and forth like a pendulum slightly, as though he were trying to hypnotize Yugi into forgetting his fears, if only for the moment, and getting some sleep. _'That is understandable; this magic you are facing is unlike anything we have indeed faced. Though it too has ancient roots like the ones we have faced and utilized from the ancients of Egypt, this magic has evolved into more common uses, but has also twisted into far more devious forms.'_

'I'm just unsure…if the magic of the Millennium Puzzle will be able to withstand what we will have to confront in the future…" Yugi's small voice sounded even smaller as he confided with his guardian spirit. 'I know that you are strong Yami, and you have endless wisdom from living for several millennia…but this is different. We've entered into a world that neither of us knows anything about, and we don't know what it is we're up against. Harry and Dumbledore both seem apprehensive about what lies in the future, and it seems like Voldemort is only going to get stronger…'

Yami appeared to be in thought as Yugi spoke, absorbing all this in though he had been able to hear it all for himself from within the Puzzle. _'The answer to that is simple, but not an easy solution…if Voldemort is only going to get stronger, then we must grow stronger as well. After all Yugi, you're heading to a school that teaches the mastery of the magical arts. Perhaps there you will be able to have further understanding of the vast powers of the Millennium Puzzle that you have not been able to tap into yet, and learn some new forms of magic that will aid you as well. The future may look bleak to you now because of what happened earlier, but I'm positive that everything you will gain confidence and the strength to be able to match and defeat every foe you meet…'_

Yugi nodded in his physical form, beginning to drift off to sleep. As he fell asleep the image of Yami faded away, though in his state he couldn't tell if it was because of the change in his unconscious state or if the spirit were simply receding into the innermost regions of the Puzzle once again. Either way, the reassuring visage of his spiritual companion gradually faded into nothing, and the nightmares swiftly came in his place.

"Damn him…" 

Voldemort's voice held such venomous anger that the candles on the other side of the chamber flickered and some died out, as though having been smothered by the fiery rage building up within him. His lucid form had been placed upon a makeshift throne at the end of the dark and musty chamber. Besides the small patches of illumination that the candles created against the walls, there was darkness all around him, but he could make out the forms of his silent Death Eaters as they stood before him in a submissive formation.

Lord Voldemort raised one hand from the armrest, and it shook as though it were about to come apart; the assault from Dumbledore earlier had left him weakened and his form was even more ghastly than before. An accusing finger pierced through the darkness at them, his skin so pale and deathly that it stood out even in the shadows wrapped around them.

"It will…be far more difficult to obtain that instrument now…" his voice was coarse and had no tone. "Dumbledore will bring the boy and Harry Potter to Hogwarts now that he can sense the danger around them. But that will not stop me from getting that Puzzle…" his hand slammed down roughly against the armchair, making a sharp sound that was fueled by his anger. "Lucius…"

Lucius Malfoy stepped forward, his head still bowed slightly and a shadow cast over his features. "Yes my Lord…"

"Your son Draco will now be able to fulfill his purpose…" Voldemort's voice hissed. "I want him to act as an observer within the confines of Hogwarts and watch everything the boy does, everywhere he goes and who his friends become. Once we have discovered his habits, we will devise a way to trap him and take that relic away from him…"

Lucius nodded in response to this command. "Yes my Lord, I will have Draco act in the way that you wish him too; I am sure he will be more than willing to help…" a slight smirk came across the man's features as he spoke. "If you do mind my inquiring my Lord, but why is this relic so important for you to obtain?"

Lord Voldemort took in a labored breath before he spoke. "The relic contains an ancient power, and a guardian spirit who has preserved it…if I can absorb the spirit into myself, I will be able to tap into his power…I will regain my youth and physical strength once more, and my magical abilities will grow to a level where no one…not even Dumbledore…will be able to stop me…" his voice sounded hungry for the power he spoke of, his deadened eyes lighting up slightly as his lust for power awakened within him, and he remembered the sheer magical energy he had felt within the Puzzle when he had grasped it.

"If that is so my Lord, why do you not just have Draco steal the Puzzle from the boy? We would be able to obtain it sooner if we merely steal it instead of devising a way to capture the boy-"

"You fool!" Lord Voldemort suddenly roared coarsely, and Lucius stopped abruptly. "The boy himself is a part of the power within the Puzzle, he has developed a spiritual connection to the ancient soul that is imprisoned within the relic, and so if it is merely taken from him there would be no way to unlock the power within it! It would merely be a worthless artifact and nothing more!" 

"If…if that is so my mighty and powerful Lord…" the sniveling Peter Pettigrew stepped forward slightly. "Then how are you going to absorb the power into yourself?"

Voldemort's expression twisted into a faint but vicious smirk. _"It's simple…his spirit is connected to the power as well now, so all I must do is absorb both the boy's soul and the spirit within him, and I will be able to do all that I have said…"_


	14. The Arrival

As the sound of the train's whistle blared through the station in warning, Yugi and Harry climbed on board. Yugi looked disoriented; he'd sworn that he'd just walked straight through a brick wall in order to get to the oddly numbered platform. Harry smiled a little at him as he staggered into the compartment alongside him.

"That…takes a little getting used to. I'm sorry I didn't give you more warning about it, but we might have missed the train if we'd stopped," he said as he took a seat, and Yugi all but collapsed into his own. Just after they'd taken a seat, they could hear the lower bowels of the train being shut as the luggage was stored, and the train released another screeching whistle as it began to depart from the station.

Yugi looked out the window with tired fascination; he'd never been on a train before outside some of the small monorail systems back home in Japan. They were used quite a bit, but they traveled through bustling cities, not wide and spanning countryside. Almost immediately after they had departed from the crowded train station did the city disappear behind them and endless wilderness spanned ahead.

"So tell me more about the school, Harry," Yugi said he looked at his companion. "You haven't gotten to tell me much about it yet, with all the chaos and whatnot. I've gotten really curious about it; I had no idea there were schools where you could go to learn and perfect magic," a small smile traced his face, the first one to come in days. Harry returned the smile and seemed to go into a tranquil, almost trance-like state as he spoke about his school. After all, Hogwarts had become his new home, closest to the memories and lives of his lost parents and farthest from his awful relatives.

"It's really something, to say the least about it. It would take five round trips to and from it for me to just tell you the basics about it," Harry said as an introduction, and Yugi listened intently. "I admit, some of the classes may seem exciting at first but when you see how laborious and tedious some of the magic is they'll get to be a little boring, but there's nothing like your first year there. Hogwarts is a massive and almost endless castle that rests on a cliffside surrounded by water and forest, and there are a lot of areas within and outside it that you definitely don't want to go to," he finished with a warning.

"Why wouldn't you want to go to those places?"

"Well, you see, there are a lot of magical creatures that are good, and help wizards in many ways, but for every good one there's a bad one as well. There are a lot of dangerous creatures that live in the forests around Hogwarts, and that's the reason we're not allow out in them without supervision from either the Professors or trained staff from the school."

This wouldn't have sounded too comforting to many other first year students, but considering that Yugi had already come face to face with the magical world's most dangerous and evil being, nothing Harry could have described would be nearly as frightening. "What are the professors like at Hogwarts? Are any of them nice?"

"Plenty of them are actually, but they're all very strict. You have to make sure you do your work and pay close attention to their assignments and lessons, or else you'll end up on their bad sides. Like Professor McGonagall for instance, she's strict but fair, you need to make sure you do everything she says and just do your best in her classroom, and she'll be decent to you. Most of the other professors are the same way, but there are a few to look out for. Like Professor Snape, he's been the Potions professor for the years I've been here, and he hates everyone that's not in his house."

"House…?"

"Yes, every student is divided into different houses depending in their strengths and weaknesses. There's a magical hat, the Sorting Hat, that does that in the opening ceremonies. You place it on the head of the new student, it examines your mind, and then calls out where you're best suited to go. And that's where you live the rest of the year. There are four houses, Gryffindor, which is my house, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Snape hates anyone that's not in Slytherin because he's the head of that house," Harry said, but Yugi was still attempting to understand the house system. Nervousness soon followed as he contemplated the possibility that he might be sorted into another house and away from Harry. From his tone of voice, it didn't sound like Slytherin was fit for anyone who wasn't part demon.

"Do…do you think that I'll end up in Gryffindor too Harry?" Yugi asked quietly after a moment, his nervousness seeping out.

"Don't worry yourself to death about it Yugi, you're brave from what I see, and that's what our house is all about. I doubt the Sorting Hat could ever find a better place to put you," he said, but Yugi didn't seem so sure.

"Excuse me for a moment," Yugi said as he stood and walked out of the compartment, wandering down the hallway through the rambling train. He passed several other compartments that had a handful of other early arrivals to the school and other passengers that had business to attend to there. He heard utterances of things that he didn't understand much about, but that wasn't his concern. He came to the end of the corridor after walking quite a ways, near where the end car was latched on and tugging along some of the luggage. He sat down there, in the corner beside one of the compartment doors and tried to concentrate, and think about his situation.

Everything had happened so quickly that it hadn't felt like he'd even gotten the chance to agree to all of this. Not that he wasn't looking forward to seeing this marvelous school that Harry had portrayed, but yet again his life seemed to be spiraling out of control. 'I guess you're never too far from home with troubles like mine,' he thought to himself. As he sat there, he could feel Yami's presence stirring within him, but he didn't bother to call the spirit into his mind's view right now. He wasn't sure what to say.

Throughout all their previous conflicts, Yami had always been there to aid him in any of their struggles. There didn't seem to be anything that Yami couldn't do to get Yugi out of a terrible situation, but just yesterday, in the abandoned building when Voldemort had nearly killed him, Yami's presence had seemed to vanish from him. It was an eerie, cold, and empty feeling that suddenly came through him. Was there something that prevented Yami from confronted this different kind of magic? Or was there something else deeper, darker at work that he simply couldn't see right now? Either way, the answers troubled him, and he felt more alone right now than he ever had before. He had trusted Yami for so long that the prospect of going to this strange and very new place was becoming more frightening than exciting by the moment, and he almost felt tempted to go back and tell Harry that he wasn't interested in going any longer, that he just wanted to return home to his friends. At least back in Japan, when situations had been dire before, he at least knew his friends were there to support him. Here, halfway across the planet and heading straight into a new world altogether, he couldn't have felt farther away from them.

His attention was drawn away from his troubles for a moment when he heard heightened voices and excitement in the compartment behind him, and raised his head so that his ear was pressing against the thin wooden panel that separated him from its occupants. He had to listen carefully to make it out since the voices were muffled, but he could have sworn he'd heard Harry's name mentioned.

A harsher voice came first, higher than the other two in the compartment. "Did you see Potter getting on the train with that weird looking boy? I thought I was going to fall over laughing at his hairstyle," he said mocking, and Yugi glimpsed up at his rather shocking, pointed hair. "It figures that Potter would bring even more mudbloods and mutts into Hogwarts, soon the place is going to be overridden with them." His comment was followed by stupid, slow laughter from his companions, and Yugi looked slightly offended, but angrier at the comments the boy was making about Harry than the ones made towards him.

Yugi stood and brushed himself off, not wanting to hear anymore of the boy's complaints and ridicule, and walked back towards the compartment he was sharing with Harry.

The train came to a screeching halt at a solitary station on the edge of a spanning lake, but even at a distance away Yugi was able to gaze upon the massive structure of Hogwarts on the edge of the cliff. Everything that Harry had described was true, and he just stared at it for a moment before he was pushed along by the small crowd heading towards some small boats latched to the shoreline. Yugi climbed into one with Harry and just continued to look at it.

Harry chuckled. "I told you it was really impressive."

"You weren't kidding. I don't think I've ever seen anything so huge before. The biggest buildings in Japan were skyscrapers but…they pale in comparison to that…" he said quietly. It was evening and lights were flickering on all along the sides of the castle, windows becoming lit even though there wasn't a figure there lighting it. "Who owns this whole place anyways? Most of this property probably belongs to the state."

"Hmmm, I'm actually not sure if it's owned per-say. Maybe the Ministry or some other organization does technically have the deed of the land but, Dumbledore's the one that runs it, the wizard who saved you from You-Know-Who yesterday. He's the Headmaster of the school."

"Dumbledore? That's…a bit of a strange name," Yugi said with a small smile as he unwrapped a nameless beverage he'd bought on the train to get a drink. It had occurred to him that he hadn't known the name of the elderly wizard who'd saved him from harm's way, or if he had heard it he'd forgotten in all the chaos.

"If you think it's strange then you'll find far stranger, here. I'm sure you'll be kept preoccupied the seven years you go here." Yugi suddenly choked on the liquid and spat it out in a mist onto the back of Harry's head. "S-seven years?! I thought I was only coming here to get some protection until this Volde-…I mean, You-Know-Who is caught! I can't stay here for seven years!"

"Don't worry, an owl will be sent to your home back in Japan to let your family and friends know you're here, and you can go home on holidays and over the summer break," Harry explained as though it were nothing.

"But…but I don't even have any supplies yet or anything, how am I supposed to go to school here right away without them?"

"Dumbledore told me that we'd have everything we need, don't worry. When it comes to emergencies this school always has a solution, trust me. I've been in a lot of tight spots in the past but I've always come through all right."

Harry spoke very nonchalantly, but none of this was new at all to him. Yugi on the other hand felt like a fish out of water here and Harry's assurances weren't helping much. "Just calm yourself down, all right? You don't need to worry so much about all this. You'll get used to the system here with time, and my friends and I will be sure to make sure you feel welcome."

Yugi nodded, attempting to do as he was told, but his stomach felt unsettled and he looked up at the school with a new sense that now the place was towering over him, looming and looking more ominous than impressive. It was strange how one's demeanor could change their entire outlook on life around them, but Yugi couldn't help but feel like it was all too much to take, and too quickly. Without a word he laid back in the boat, closing his eyes just as the darkness of the tunnel in the cliff came over them, and they entered into the deepest bowels of Hogwarts.


	15. Unsorted

Nothing that Yugi had seen thus far could have prepared him for the immensity of Hogwarts; if Diagon Alley was a streaming vein with relation to the magical world, Hogwarts was the pulsating heart that it all seemed to originate from. As he wandered the first few corridors of dry ground they reached in the underbelly of the school, he was speechless from how endless it seemed. Above him whole staircases at times swung about, changing course and reaching towards doorways and passages that seemed to go on forever. Over them, the ceiling appeared to be transparent, though from so far down below he couldn't tell if it was glass or a spell cast upon it, and he could see the flickering lights of stars.

Once he managed to pry his attention away from his surroundings, he realized that he and Harry were once again by themselves. If anything, however, this made him feel more comfortable. Harry was really the only one in this strange new world that he trusted at all, and with Yami's presence still weak and lingering within him, the need for guidance was ever-present for him. It was also comforting in the sense as well that if he were by himself, he would probably get so lost that he'd never be found again.

"So…where is it we're going now?" Yugi asked after a few moments of uneasy silence, at least on his part. Harry walked about as though this place truly were his home.

"The ceremony for us to be sorted into our individual houses isn't for a few more hours, so for now I'm just giving you a miniature tour and we'll go retrieve our belongings to take to whichever house we end up in," Harry explained with a relaxed smile. But Yugi didn't feel so relaxed; this whole 'sorting ceremony' that Harry kept referring to had him at wits end. He didn't quite understand how a hat was going to know where he belonged; _he _didn't even know usually where he belonged.

Yugi's worried thoughts were interrupted by the echoes of a cooing sound that traveled down the corridor from behind them. It startled him at first, but Harry just chuckled a bit and held up his arm horizontally. "Don't worry Yugi, it's just Hedwig…" he said, and Yugi watched as a snow-white owl suddenly cut through the darkness towards them and landed on Harry's arm, nuzzling its feather face and neck against his cheek. Yugi took in a deep breath to calm himself and smiled. "She's beautiful…is she your pet?"

"Sort of, in the magical world animals serve more purposes for their owners that just company. Hedwig can deliver mail and packages to my friends, and she seems to know when I need her most. I suppose there's a bit more of a connection between owner and animal in the magical world; they're closer to being animal familiars," he explained once more, and Yugi nodded as he watched Hedwig nip at Harry's ear playfully. Considering his connection to some of his dueling monsters, Yugi could understand the similar connection that Harry was talking about. But thinking about this made him miss his Dark Magician and the other card entities he was close to, so he attempted to shift his thought pattern.

Harry suddenly noticed Hedwig grasping something in her talon and gently took it from her. It was a parchment scroll neatly tied with a piece of string; he untied it and opened it, reading it swiftly. His eyes began to widen with surprise and panic as he finished. "It's a note from Dumbledore, he says the ceremony's about to start!" Harry said, suddenly grabbing Yugi's arm and dragging him along towards the appropriate chamber.  
"But…but you said it wasn't going to be for a while!" Yugi shouted. "I thought we had a few hours to get ready!" So much for getting anymore mental preparation done, it seemed.

"I thought so too, but the other students are all already prepared for it, and Dumbledore was pressured by some of the professors to start it, so we need to hurry or we'll miss your name being announced!" Harry said swiftly and urgently, his words meshing together a bit in his rush. Yugi's feet barely even touched the ground at the frantic pace that Harry was dragging him along. Whole elaborate corridors that they ran through turned into formless blurs as Yugi focused on what was ahead, afraid of what was to come, especially without Yami there to help him and now no time to get himself ready.

It felt like they'd run an entire marathon before they reached an auxiliary chamber outside of main banquet hall where the Sorting was going on; fortunately, the Sorting Hat wasn't too far into alphabet when they arrived, but it was going through the students at such a rate that Harry still seemed to be in a panic. As cheered and revered silence alternated in the massive hall beside them, Harry quickly pulled out his wand and closed his eyes, taking a second to concentrate. Yugi was busy looking in on the ceremony with awe and terror as Harry swiftly uttered his spell.

"Accio…Yugi's school robes," Harry said, unable to think of a less ridiculous way to say what he was summoning.

"How is saying that going to get them from wherever they are to-" Yugi began to say anxiously, when suddenly he was knocked over by the force of his robes plowing into his back.

"Quick quick quick, put them on!" Harry said, yanking Yugi up and tugging the black robes hastily over his head. Yugi was so nervous that he flailed around a bit, trying to allow Harry to pull them on quickly while at the same instant trying to get back onto his feet. The robes fell down to the floor; they were a bit too big for Yugi, but there was little time to be worrying about that right now. The instant that Harry finally got them wriggled over his head, a voice suddenly rang out over the momentarily silenced hall before them. Harry recognized it as Professor McGonagall's voice as it bellowed through the quiet like thunder, but to Yugi, it was a strange voice that made him tremble a bit with worry.

"Yugi Mouto!" the voice cried out, and a few hushed voices began instantly as students looked around for the next student to be sorted.

"You're on," was all Harry muttered before he suddenly shoved Yugi out into the hall. Yugi stumbled out and nearly tripped over the slightly long robes, and chuckled and giggles rang out almost instantly. He looked up fearfully; the banquet hall was dimly lit by candles, with the students seated all around him and the Professors seated at the far end, an eternity away. Most of the professors noticed as he staggered into the hall and looked rather impatient and unimpressed, and this didn't help encourage him to approach. Dumbledore's one comforting presence was missing; the central chair at the main table was vacant and loomed there like an unwelcome presence. The Sorting Hat was sitting on a stool in front of the Professors' table, waiting for him, but he was too afraid to move as everyone waited for him with growing unease. He felt as though his feet had been nailed to the floor.

"There is no need to be afraid, Yugi…" a voice suddenly said from beside him, and when he looked to his left, Dumbledore was standing there beside the doorway with a cheery smile on his face. The elderly wizard placed a comforting hand on Yugi's shoulder and began to nudge him forward, and when Yugi finally mustered the strength to begin his approach towards the Sorting Hat, Dumbledore accompanied him at his side, his hand remaining on the boy's shoulder. "Don't worry, I know all of this is quite frightening for you, and hard to comprehend still. Unlike all the other students here, until a short while ago you had no idea this place even existed. But everything will work out, I assure you of that…" Dumbledore said, giving a swift reassuring wink to Yugi as they walked up the stairs towards the awaiting Professors and the Sorting Hat.

"Pardon his tardiness, young Yugi here has had an eventful few days and is unaccustomed to what we do here…" Dumbledore said, patting Yugi's shoulder as he stepped away and returned to his seat.

Professor McGonagall was standing slightly off to the side and gave Yugi a stern look nonetheless. "You may sit, and the Sorting Hat will determine where it is you will be placed…" she said, gently picking up the hat and allowing Yugi to sit. He did so, but stiffly, his fingers digging into the rounded wood panel of the stool as though it were his lifeline to reality. Some students ahead of them, barely visible in the limited lighting, were still guffawing at his extremely apparent unease. He could even detect faint strings of laughter from the same voice he'd heard on the train ridiculing Harry and himself.

Without much warning, Yugi felt the cloth of the hat placed down onto his head, and it sank down deep enough that it nearly covered up his eyes and made the whole world turn dark. Almost instantly, he could hear the voice of the Hat within his head, though the sensation didn't startle him as much as he thought it would. It wasn't too different from having Yami speak within his mind and talk to him mentally.

"Ah yes, you are a complex one…perhaps one of the most difficult I've had to sort, but we'll find a place for you…" the Hat said with a serious but almost whimsical tone. "I can see a lot of courage and internal strength, and wisdom as well that drives it…you appear to be a good candidate for Gryffindor…" it said, and Yugi for a second breathed a sigh of relief, but the Hat suddenly seemed to stiffen on his head, as though it was contracting into his mind further. "But what is this? I sense darker depths within your mind, a more cunning guise that is both clever and wise, and strong in itself…almost as though you have two minds, it seems…but these attributes would place you at a better standing in Slytherin…" the Hat sudden paused, as though contemplating, and Yugi could feel it shifting and contracting as though it were having some difficulty. He was beginning to feel tense himself, as a moment passed and no decision was made, when suddenly the Hat called out.

"I need to consult the Professors!" the Hat suddenly shouted, and there was a resonating and collected gasp all around. The younger students didn't seem to know what to make of it, but the older students looked downfounded. None of them had ever seen this before. Yugi looked with a panicked, deer-in-the-headlights look down at Harry, who was standing at the far end, but all his companion could do was make a gesture to remain calm.

Professor McGonagall suddenly plucked the Hat off of Yugi's head. "You remain here while we discuss this…" she said, turning and walking back to the Professor's table with the Hat in hand. Yugi just sat there half curled up like a child who felt like they were being punished for something they didn't do. Whispers and continued gasps and laughter streamed through the chamber even with designated older students attempting to calm and quiet the younger ones, and Yugi could steadily feel his face growing warmer and rosy by the sheer embarrassment of this entire situation. Part of him wanted to leap off the stool and run all the way back home, and part of him just wanted the Sorting to be over with so he could move on to whatever happened next.

He was right about to act on his former option when suddenly Dumbledore's calm but serious voice rang out over the hall. "A decision has been reached!"

Professor McGonagall turned and held the hand on her palms so it could face Yugi and the other students. "I have come to the decision that because of this boy's particular strengths and attributes, an immediate choice between Gryffindor and Slytherin cannot be made. Therefore, in this situation, we will allow time and experience to be the judge of where it is he belongs. Yugi Mouto will spend alternating nights in both the Gryffindor and Slytherin Houses until it is determined where his strengths are best brought out. Once that is decided, he will be placed into the appropriate House," the Hat announced.

Now there was no noise, no whispered or chuckles. Nobody seemed to know what to make of this decision. There was no cheering as there had been when a House had been determined. He remembered Harry explaining that Gryffindor and Slytherin were hated rivals to one another because of their conflicting ideals, and thus, neither House seemed comfortable celebrating his only partial acceptance into their group. The Gryffindor student either just shook their heads or looked to be at a loss, while the Slytherin students just glared at him with detestment or angered confusion.

Yugi looked helplessly at the other end of the Hall where Harry was still standing and waiting for him, but Harry was just looking at him helplessly as though he didn't know what to do either.

"I believe it would be more appropriate to talk about this in private…" Professor McGonagall suddenly said as the other Professors nodded and stood, and she grabbed Yugi by his upper arm. Before he could attempt another glimpse towards Harry, Yugi was pulled off the stage and led away with the Professors.


End file.
